Panthers roll on senior night
Norberg scores 4 TDs in 40-0 win
Siloam Springs needed a win on senior night to keep its playoff hopes alive, and Jackson Norberg and the Panthers made sure it happened.
Norberg rushed for 150 yards and four touchdowns as Siloam Springs ran by Little Rock Hall 40-0 at Panther Stadium.
The Panthers (3-6, 2-4) snapped a four-game losing streak and now must win at Russellville next week to advance to the Class 6A football playoffs.
“The number one job tonight was to make sure we secured a victory and give ourselves a chance next week to go get a win and get in the playoffs,” said Siloam Springs coach Brandon Craig. “That was our goal, and we accomplished that goal. I think we did everything we could tonight to make that happen.”
Siloam Springs finished with 339 yards of total offense and held Hall (2-7, 0-6) to just 94.
After the Panthers went threeand-out on their opening possession, Siloam Springs scored on three of its next four offensive possessions to take a 21-0 halftime lead.
On the Panthers’ second possession, quarterback Taylor Pool hit passes of 16 yards to Oren Stafford, 20 yards to Gavin Henson and 17 to Tate Criner as Siloam Springs moved the ball to the Hall 24. Five plays later Norberg scored from seven yards out to give Siloam Springs a 7-0 lead.
Pool hit Weaver for passes of 12 and 32 yards before the two connected for a 17-yard touchdown on Siloam Springs’ next possession for a 14-0 lead.
Norberg scored again from 2 yards out with 3:23 left before halftime for a 21-0 lead. Pool had a 17-yard rush on the drive and also completed a 15-yard pass to Jordan Stewart.
Norberg rushed four straight times for 56 yards to open the third quarter and he scored from six yards out to give the Panthers a 28-0 lead. He added a 9-yard score for a 35-0 lead and a running clock with 5:57 left in the third quarter.
Norberg rushed for 190 yards the previous game against El Dorado to give him 340 yards in the last two games.
“Getting a lot of good push offensively, and me running one side of the ball,” said Norberg, who had been a two-way starter earlier in the year. “I’ve still got that energy to keep going. I see a hole and I’m going to run through it. All the credit to my linemen though.”
The Panthers added a safety in the third quarter when a Hall punt snap went out of the end zone. Harrison Losh added a 19-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to set the final score.
Pool finished 8 of 13 passing for 133 passing yards and rushed six times for 35 yards. Weaver caught three passes for 61 yards.
Defensively, Levi Masters and Palvinson Phizema recovered fumbles for Siloam Springs, while Masters also blocked a punt. Keegan Soucie had an interception for Siloam Springs.
Hall running back Dontevious Patterson ran for 70 yards on 11 carries for the Warriors, including a 35-yard run in the first quarter.
The shutout was the Panthers’ first since blanking Harrison 16-0 at F.S. Garrison Stadium in 2015.
Now the Panthers have their sights set on the Cyclones, who lost to El Dorado on Friday night.
“We want to win out,” Norberg said. “We want to win the rest of our games. We want to play our butts off the rest of this year. Nothing’s guaranteed.”
It was also the Panthers’ first win on senior night since 2010.
“These kids have been through a lot in their football career,” Craig said. “They’re trying to overcome a lot of things. Really happy for them to get a win on senior night and get a win that sets them up to play a big game next week. All you can ask for as a player is an opportunity and tonight they created an opportunity for themselves next week.”
NOTES: It was Military Appreciation Night at Panther Stadium, which included most of the Panthers carrying American flags as they ran on the field.