NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — The Siloam Springs Panthers enter the 2012 football season with strong veterans returning at several positions, including quarterback, running back, defensive line and linebacker.
Meanwhile other positions such as wide receiver, offensive line and secondary don’t have alot of returning experience and face question marks heading into the season opener Aug. 30 against Watson Chapel at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
Here is a position breakdownof the 2012 Panthers.
Quarterbacks
Siloam Springs has had glimpses over the past couple of years of what Austin Van Poucke (6-foot-1, 190 pounds) can do at the quarterback position.
It was only two years ago that Van Poucke was a sophomore starting the 2010 season openerat quarterback at Claremore (Okla.) Sequoyah while Braden Pippin was sidelined with a concussion.
Van Poucke was brilliant in his debut, completing 14 of 18 passes for 242 yards and four touchdowns in Siloam Springs’ 48-14 win.
He also started the next game against Rogers Heritage and had the Panthers in a positionto upset the 7A-West opponent, leading in the fourth quarter.
Van Poucke, who moved to wide receiver and led the team with 447 receiving yards as a junior, started one game at quarterback last season at Huntsvile and guided the Panthers to a 25-8 victory.
He threw a 22-yard touchdown pass on a trick play in the 2011 season opener against Claremore Sequoyah and then a 50-yard strike against Vilonia. In two seasons, he’s completed 50 of 104 passes for 838 yards, 10 touchdowns and fiveinterceptions.
Now the position is all his and so far he’s making the most of it, according to head coach Bryan Ross.
“Austin is turning into a leader for us,” Ross said. “He’s one of the best all-around athletes on the team. It says a lot when you ask a kid to go out and play receiver, and he’s never done it before, and he winds up being your leading receiver.
“He throws the ball well. It’s just a matter of getting lots of reps and getting him ready to play in a game on Friday, which he did as a sophomore and then as a junior. No worries there. The big worry there is if he gets hurt.” Backing up Van Poucke at quarterback is sophomore Chris Lampton (5-11, 200), who led the freshman team to a 6-4 record last season and a 7-1-1 mark as eighth graders.
“Chris quarterbacked the junior high team last year and did a real good job for them,” Ross
said. “I’ve seen him make great strides in just the (several) days we’ve been practicing, so he definitely gives us a quality backup. The backup is extremely important because, honestly, he’s one snap away from being the guy. He’s got to be ready to go.” The Panthers received an unexpected boost to their depth at the quarterback position at the start of fall camp when junior Gage Ennis (5-10, 180) returned to the football team. Ennis had decided to quit football in th spring but had a change of heart and approached Ross about returning to the team.
Ennis played quarterback forthe freshman team in 2010.
“He gives us some depth there,” Ross said. “Gage knows that when he gets back to full speed he’s probably going to be on the defensive side of the ball.
You need to have a guy who has some experience taking a snap and kind of has a little understanding of what goes on back there.”
As has been the case for the last two years, Scout Alexander is listed as the Panthers’ emergency quarterback.
Tailback
Following a 215-yard rushing performance against Gentry and games of 113 and 147 yards against Rogers Heritage and Vilonia, respectively, Scout Alexander looked to be well on his way to a 1,000-yard rushing season as a junior in 2011.
Injuries derailed the rest of Alexander’s season and he finished with 654 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns, and a bout with pneumonia forced the 5-foot-5, 165-pound senior to miss all of spring practice in May.
However, Alexander has rebounded from all of it and appears to be back to his old self, if preseason drills are any indication.
“He’s looked good running the ball this preseason,” Ross said of Alexander. “I’ve seen him do some things that he didn’t do last year as far as seeing blocks and making really good cuts.
“The thing with Scout is, we can play to his strengths, which are quickness and his ability to catch the football.”
Alexander also caught 16 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown last season. Combined with his ability to run in space, Alexander gives opponents fits in the backfield.
“We’re going to ask him to run tough inside the tackles, but that’s not going to be the biggest part of his game,” Ross said.
“The biggest part of his game is being able to run in space andcatch the ball out of the backfield. He really gives us a good receiver out of the backfield.”
Senior Oscar Alaniz (5-6, 161 pounds), who starts at cornerback on defense, is penciled in as No. 2 on the depth chart at running back. Alaniz has shown flashes on the offensive side of the ball the last two seasons, rushing for a combined 131 yards on 36 carries. In the spring game he carried 12 times for 106 yards.
Also playing running back are the Dolezal brothers, Mitchel and Colin. Mitchel Dolezal is a 5-8, 165-pound junior. Colin Dolezal, a 5-8, 165-poundsophomore, played running back on the freshman team a year ago.
“I’ve been impressed with the Dolezal brothers,” Ross said.
“They’re hard workers - tough, hard-nosed kids. They’ll give a great effort when they get the opportunity.”
Sophomore Tristen Jones (5-9, 155) also is listed on the depth chart at running back.
Wide recever
The Panthers’ leading receiver from a year ago is now starting at quarterback, and the next leading returning receiverstarts at running back. The rest of the returning receivers had a combined 10 catches for 133 yards in varsity experience from a year ago.
“Not a lot of experience,” Ross said. “That’s been the big question mark. Who’s going to step up and really be players for us?”
The Panthers have had several candidates who have potential to step up and be the bellcow at wideout.
Of the Panthers’ returning receivers, junior Chandler Gregory (6-1, 195) has the mostreturning statistics from last year’s team. He caught three passes for 22 yards last season but showed promise in the Senior Bowl in May with a 68-yard receiving performance.
“Chandler Gregory has had a big summer and preseason for us,” Ross said.
He’s listed first at ‘Z’ receiver.
Also listed at Z are senior Yoshi Rivas (5-6, 130), sophomore Zane Washington (5-8, 145) and senior Kevin Escobar (5-9, 145).
“Zane played a little running back and receiver for us (as a ninth grader),” Ross said. “We moved him outside because he runs pretty well. He’s just like any sophomore.There’s a learning curve there.You can’t expect him to be as polished as a junior or a senior. We need those guys to step up and be a factor for us, and I think they will.”
Senior Bronson Tucker (6-0, 175) caught one pass for 12 yards against Rogers Heritage last year and is listed as the starter at ‘X.’ Also listed at X is senior Edwin Magana (5-7, 160), who caught two passes for 14 yards last year.
“I’ve been very, very impressed with Edwin Magana,” Ross said. “He’s a senior who’s really worked hard and made himself into a kid we can count on Friday nights. We’re expecting him to play a lot for us this year.”
Also at X are sophomores Zach Davis (5-11, 160), Tyler Burke (5-8, 160), junior Guillermo Leyva (5-9, 156) and sophomore Dylan Land (5-11, 160).
At the ‘Y’ position, brothers Jordan and Jacob Herring are battling it out for the first-team reps. Jordan Herring is a 6-1, 155-pound senior, while Jacob Herring is a 5-11, 155-pound junior.
“We have the Herring brothers out at Y, and it’s kind of a battle to see who’s going to getthe snaps there,” Ross said.
“We’re going to play the guys that give us the best chance. We need somebody to step up and really take the position for us.”
Also listed at Y are sophomores Parker Baldwin (6-0, 165), Edwin Ramirez (5-4, 110) and senior Jesus Guerra (5-4, 135).
S/Tight End
The Panthers’ ‘S’ position is a hybrid of a fullback and tight end, and the S is used in both situations. The S needs to be able to catch it as well as block.
Mason Spence came on as a big target at S a year ago for Siloam Springs with 31 catches for 318 yards, which ranked second on the team.
But with Spence graduated, a new target must emerge there.
Senior Mario Flores (5-11, 192) caught two passes for 33 yards as a junior and is listed at the top of the depth chart.
“Mario didn’t play as a sophomore and came back, and he knows I’m still mad at him because he didn’t play as a sophomore,” Ross said with a grin. “Mario’s a great kid and has really adapted well.”
Listed behind Flores but who will see a lot of playing time as well is sophomore David Goodman (6-2, 220), who has impressed coaches on the football field since he was a seventh grader.
“David has really impressed us,” Ross said. “I think he’s going to be one of the top sophomores around. We just love his intensity, and when you talk about being football players, some kids have it, and he’s a kid that has it.”
Both Flores and Goodman are key players on defense, so there will probably be a lot of rotation amongst the two on offense.
“There’s really not a starter there,” Ross said. “They’re probably going to be on the field at the same time quite a bit.”
Also listed at S are sophomores Austin Cooper (6-0, 174)
and Tate Hickman (5-6, 144).
Offensive line
The key on offense just might center on how the Panthers of fensive line gels throughout the season.
The Panthers are bigger on the offensive line than they’ve been in several years, however only senior tackle Austin Farmer has had a lot of starting experience. The Panthers plan to move Farmer (6-0, 330) from left tackle to right tackle in a move that’s designed to help the Panthers running game and passing game. Taking over at left tackle will be junior Blake Crouse (6-0, 285), who missed all of 2011 with a knee injury.
“Coach (Jonathan) Johnson and I sat down and talked about it,” Ross said. “Austin’s really good in the run game and has some strength in what we do there. He’s not as quick as Crouse in pass protection. Assuming
that we’ll have the right-handed quarterback (in Van Poucke), theleft tackle probably has a little more importance placed on him in protection. Flipping those two would strengthen us.”
Manning the guard positions are juniors J.C. Everett (5-10, 255), Daryn Ketcher (5-8, 250), while center will be junior Bryan Harmon (6-0, 235). Senior Jacob Engel (5-10, 255) is a valuable piece as well as he can play both center and guard.
“Jacob Engel’s worked really hard this offseason,” Ross said.
“Bryan Harmon had an outstanding spring. Really (Engel) gives us some ability to move some people around a little bit.
We feel that those six guys can develop into a really solid offensive line for us.”
Providing depth on the offensive line at both tackle spots is junior Jared Noll (5-11, 245), while senior Chanse Jones (6-0, 185) is listed as a backup at left guard.
Seniors Luis Gutierrez (6-0, 285), Juan Peraza (5-7, 250) and David Zamora (5-8, 225) can provide depth on the offensiveline, but those three all start on the Panthers defensive line.
“We really, really don’t want our linemen going both ways,” Ross said. “We haven’t had that happen in several years.”
Also providing depth on the offensive line are sophomores Sean Kenney(5-7, 221), Austin Hornbuckle (5-11, 160), Justin Kleckner (5-6, 190), Cole Stephens (5-10, 210), Danny Ortiz (5-7, 175), Steven Hill (5-11, 176), Jacob Uptegrove (5-10, 280), Jackson Kelly (5-10, 244) and junior Kevin Munoz (5-11, 195), Defensive line
The consensus among Panther coaches during the spring and summer is that the team’s greatest strength is on its defensive front.
The defensive line is anchored by four seniors and the emergence of a sophomore force could make this group a load to handle in the trenches.
Zamora is the leader of the group and a team captain. At defensive end, his 5-8, 225-pound frame allows him to use speed and strength when coming around the edge. Zamora had 60 total tackles last year and 2 1/2 sacks.
“David Zamora is just an out standing football player,” Ross said. “If he was 6-3 or 6-4, he would have multiple recruiters drooling all over him. He’s so smart and plays so hard. He’s just a coach’s dream.”
Working the other defensive end position should be a nice rotation for the Panthers from the sophomore Goodman and senior Colten Campbell (5-10, 190). Campbell had 20 total tackles and 2 sacks last year.
Goodman’s play is reminiscent of the play of another young defensive lineman at Siloam Springs. And even though Deric England played inside for the Panthers, the coaches believe there’s similar potential
in Goodman.
“He doesn’t play like a sopho more,” Ross said of Goodman. “He’s just a football player. He’s got a chance to be outstand ing.”
Plugging up the middle will be Peraza and Gutierrez, and the Panthers will need these two to be able to draw double teams to open up lanes for their linebackers to make tackles. Gutierrez led the team last year with seven sacks to go with his 36 total tackles, while Peraza
had 17 total tackles.
Also on the defensive line, Chanse Jones is listed as a backup defensive end, while offensive linemen Everett, Harmon, Noll and Crouse could see some time.
Youngsters Munoz, Colin Dolezal, Uptegrove and Kelly are also listed on the depth chart.
“We’re not going to ask those guys to play every down,” Rosssaid. “We really need to have a good rotation there. We like to keep those guys as fresh as possible. The D-linemen, particularly your D-tackles, you want to keep them as fresh as possible.” Linebackers
Just as important as the defensive front are the linebackers for Siloam Springs.
And anchoring the linebacking corps are a pair of seniors in Jose Reyes (5-7, 220) and Flores.
Reyes was an All-Conference linebacker in the 5A-West last season and is a defensive captain for the Panthers.
“(Reyes) plays the run really well,” Ross said. “He’s smart, sees things, he’s going to be where he’s supposed to be. It starts with him.”
Reyes will man the middle linebacker spot or MIKE. Flores will play the weakside position or WILL.
“Then you have Mario, who played some last year, and we expect him to get better and better as he gets more reps,” Ross said. “Both of those guys are smart. You can count on them.
We feel pretty good there.”
Reyes led the team last season with 85 total tackles and was named All-Conference in the 5A-West. He also had 2 1/2 sacks.
Flores had 43 total tackles and recovered four fumbles along with 1 1/2 sacks.
Technically, the Panthers’ defensive scheme is a 4-2-5 as the strong side linebacker, or SAM, is usually playing outside of the box in pass coverage.
Manning the SAM linebacker could be a rotation of players, including Tucker, Gregory and Ennis.
“There will be a rotation there simply because those guys are going to be playing some offense too,” Ross said.
“I would expect that at some point Gage Ennis will step in there and be able to help us too.
We had worked Lampton there, but once Gage came back, the defensive coaches felt good enough about the depth there to where we could move Lampton back inside (to MIKE).”
The return of Ennis was a big boost defensively for the Panthers, as he had 38 total tackles, one interception and one sack last year.
Ennis handled his return the right way, Ross said, and the team was happy to have him back.
“He really regretted his decision (to quit football),” Ross said. “He came and talked to me. We’re all human and we all make mistakes, and I think he realized that maybe football meant a lot more to him than he what he thought. ... Gage is a good kid, I expect that at some point this year he’ll be able to help us some.”
Also playing linebacker for Siloam Springs is senior Michael Rice (5-10, 190), Lampton, Mitchel Dolezal and Hickman.
Cornerbacks
In the pass-happy 6A/7AWest Conference, perhaps no position is more magnified than cornerback.
Luckily for Siloam Springs, the Panthers do have some returning experience in Alaniz, who had 40 total tackles and three pass breakups a year ago.
Alaniz will man one cornerposition, while junior Guillermo Leyva (5-9, 156) is penciled in at the other corner.
“Oscar is there, and Guillermo Leyva has done a good job,” Ross said. “He’s really come on for us. We’re hoping he can play quite a bit there.”
Magana is listed as a backup at one corner position, while Washington is backing up at the other corner spot.
Alexander is also listed as a backup, but the Panthers are hoping to keep him off the field on defense.
“We’d like to keep Scout as fresh as possible, but I’m sure we can use him at times,” Ross said. “Zane Washington is a sophomore, who’s shown some flashes of being able to play on Friday night.”
“We’ve got some young ones out there, but we’ve got some ability. We’ve just got to understand that we’re going to make some sophomore errors and as long as they make them full speed and learn from them then we can live with that.”
Rivas, Escobar and junior Chandler Rice (5-11, 175) could also play some corner.
Safeties
The youth movement is in full swing at the safety positions for Siloam Springs.
Sophomores Tyler Burke and Parker Baldwin are penciled in as the starters, but the Herring
brothers are also listed at the
position.
“We’re going to have some movement back there,” Ross said. “We’ve got a couple of sophomores, Parker Baldwin and Tyler Burke, that have been working back there. We’ve got the Herring brothers. Jacob Herring can actually play corner too.
“We’ve got a little flexibilty there. In the end we’re going to put the ones out there that give us the best chance at win ning. We know that they may be young, but if they’re the best, and we tell them that all the time, they’re going to play.”
Special teams Junior place-kicker Alejandro Dominguez was a perfect 34 for 34 on extra point tries last year. He also connected 4 of 10 field goals. Dominguez will also handle the kickoff duties. Flores has also been working some at place-kicker in case Dominguez should be unavail able.
Van Poucke is likely to handle the punting duties. He had two punts last season for a total of 75 yards, with his longest punt being 40 yards.
Everett is the deep snapper. “He pops the ball back there pretty good,” Ross said.
Alexander and Alaniz are likely to be the Panthers’ top kick and punt returners.
Sports, Pages 18 on 08/29/2012