GRAVETTE — Siloam Springs expected Gravette to put up a fight Friday night, and for one half the Lions matched the Panthers score for score.
But the second half proved to be a different story as the Siloam Springs defense pitched a shutout in the second half, and the Panthers offense scored two third-quarter touchdowns and another in the fourth in a 35-14 nonconference win at Lion Stadium.
The Panthers (1-2) earned their first win of the season and rolled up a season-high 437 yards of offense, including 374 yards in the air. And just as significant, Siloam Springs did not commit a turnover after having committed nine turnovers combined in their previous two games.
“The kids did what we asked them to do,” said Siloam Springs coach Bryan Ross. “Far from perfect, and we know there’s a whole lot of room for improvement, but it was a start. ... (We) took care of the ball tonight, which is something that we focused on all week in practice.”
Siloam Springs quarterback Austin Van Poucke and his top two targets - senior Bronson Tucker and junior Chandler Gregory - had big nights in the passing game.
Van Poucke threw for a career-high 339 yards and completed 20 of 27 passes and two touchdowns. He also rushed for two touchdowns.
“(Van Poucke) played an outstanding game,” Ross said. “He’s going to grade out around 95 percent, and that may be the highest by any quarterback since I’ve been here.”
Tucker led with 146 receiving yards on six catches, including a touchdown. Gregory did most of his work in the first half and finished with eight catches for 129 yards.
The Panthers showed some flashes on their first offensive possession, moving into Gravette territory before the drive stalled at the 29-yard line.
Gravette responded with a seven-play, 70-yard scoring drive to take a 7-0 lead. Quarterback Chase Brody found Shay Shimer for a 32-yard pass into Siloam Springs territory. The Lions then pounded the ball behind their offensive line before Shimer scored on a shovel pass from Brody.
Siloam Springs didn’t immediately get the ball back. Lions kicker Cedric Duarte squibbed the ball and it bounced off Panthers upman Colten Campbell, and Shimer recovered. However, Gravette was unable to capitalize as Siloam Springs’ defense held.
The Panthers then began a nine-play 64-yard scoring drive that tied the game with 1:58 left in the first. Van Poucke hit Gregory for a 25-yard gain and then hit Tuckerfor 18 yards and Gregory again for 12. After hitting Gregory for six yards to the 3-yard line, Van Poucke ran in the final three yards to tie the game.
Siloam Springs took a 14-7 lead with 1:44 left in the half after a six-play, 78-yard drive. Van Poucke hit Scout Alexander on a wheel route out of the backfield for 43 yards to the Lions’ 40. He then found Gregory for 10 yards and Alexander rushed the right side for 10 yards, setting up a 20-yard touchdown pass to a wideopen Edwin Magana in the end zone.
Gravette tied the game with 14.6 seconds before halftime. The Panthers defense allowed Duarte to slip behind them and Brody found the Gravette receiver for a 26-yard gain to the 2-yard line. Brody rushed in for the score and Gravette seemed to have the momentum and possession of the ball to start the second half.
However, the Lions were unable to generate any offense in the third quarter and a short punt gave the Panthers the ball at the Siloam Springs 45.
On the Panthers’ next offensive play, sophomore backup quarterback Chris Lampton lined up beside Van Poucke, took a handoff to the right and threw a 35-yard strike to Gregory at 20. Two plays later, Van Poucke hit Tucker for a 22-yard touchdown pass. The extra point try failed after the snap was mishandled and Siloam Springs led 20-14.
Siloam Springs defense then forced three straight three-and-outs,and the Panthers turned that into two more touchdown drives to put the Lions away. Van Poucke hit Tucker for two passes for 60 yards combined to set up a 2-yard touchdown run from Alexander with 1:12 left in the third.
“Our O-line just did what they were supposed to do,” said Tucker. “They did an excellent job. They allowed the quarterback, Austin, to throw us the ball and allowed Scout to run it good.”
Then in the fourth, after hitting Tucker for a 47-yard gain, Van Poucke ran in from one yard out to set the final score.
Gravette finished with 343 yards of offense, butthe Lions only had 40 yards in the crucial third quarter. Quarterback Chase Brody had 102 rushing yards and a touchdown, but he also lost two fumbles in the second half. Mitchel Dolezal recovered both fumbles for Siloam Springs.
In the passing game, Brody completed 16 of 26 passes for 166 yards.
“They put two (scores) on us there, and that hurt us,” Gravette coach Bill Harrelson said. “We couldn’t make a first down going into the wind. I’m proud of the way the kids competed and everything. I’m disappointed for them for sure, not disappointed in them. Siloam’s got a good team.”
Sports, Pages 9 on 09/19/2012