Panthers overpower Pioneers, win 38-7

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

— Siloam Springs quarterback Bryan Adair set the tone with eight straight completions and the Panthers overpowered the Gentry Pioneers 38-7 here Friday night.

It was the final nonconference game for both teams.

The Panthers scored on all four of their first-half possessions, three of them by running back R.J. Castillo

"He played one of his best games," Panthers coach Bryan Ross said of Adair, who completed 13 of 16 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown, all in the first half. "Hopefully, this springboards us."

"He (Adair) certainly helps that thing go," Gentry coach Brian Little said. "They are just so fundamentally sound, both sides of the ball; there's nothing tricky or gimmicky.

They do a real good job with the ball."

Castillo took a screen pass 48 yards down the left sidelines as time ran out on the first half, lifting the Panthers to a 28-0 lead.

He scored the Panthers' first two touchdowns on the ground, first from the 2 and then off tackle from the 12 in the first quarter. His first TD was the Panthers' opening possession, set up on Adair's 37-yard completion to Chris Villasenor to the 3.

A 20-yard pass to Boston Sharpe on firstand-20 set up Castillo's 12-yard run off left tackle for a 14-0 lead.

Chisum Devoe bounced outside around left end 20 yards for the Panthers' thirdscore after Adair rushed up the middle 45 yards.

Castillo's 48-yard screen pass capped a 96-yard, 13-play drive.

Gentry receiver Tanner Morgan came up inches short of a first down at the 4 on fourth-and-10. The Pioneers drove there from their 25 in 14 plays. It included Nick Weeks' recovery of a Panthers' fumbled punt.

Adair only played two downs in the second half, taking a knee when backup quarterback Paul Abbey was cold-cocked late in the game.

The Panthers (3-0) bottled up Gentry quarterback Caleb Ramsey most of first half, but they only sacked him twice.

"We made some personnel changes after last week's game," Little said of his offensive line. "We're going to see if that will help us in our pass protection."

Ramsey finished with 109 yards passing and 65 yards on the ground.

"He's a good football player," Ross said of the attention his Panthers paid Ramsey.

"We knew they were going to throw and catch some. For the most part, we kept him contained."

Panthers' cornerback Stuart Cifuentes picked off Ramsey's first pass of the second half and returned it down the sidelines 30 yards for a touchdown, invoking the mercy rule with 11:09 left to play.

Gentry (1-2) averted the shutout as Weeks took a handoff up the middle 20 yards with 6:32 left to play.

Sports, Pages 6 on 09/23/2009