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2017 Football Preview 2 n Wednesday, August 23, 2017 The Herald-Leader/Westside Eagle Observer 1 — Nolan Wallis Senior, CB/S 2 — Dalton Ferguson Junior, RB/LB 3 — Luke Gumm Senior, WR/CB 4 — Spenser Pippin Junior, WR/LB 5 — Taylor Pool Sophomore, QB 7 — Seth Hufford Senior, WR 8 — Tristan Cunningham Junior, WR/CB 9 — Marquan Sorrells Senior, WR/S 11 — Braden Smartt Senior, LB 12 — Chase Chandler Junior, TE/LB 13 — Dillon Ferguson Junior, WR/CB 15 — Primo Agbehi Junior, WR/CB 16 — Tate Criner Sophomore, WR/S 17 — Landon 'L.T.' Ellis Junior, QB 19 — Harrison Losh Sophomore, K 20 — Angel Noyola Junior, WR/CB Panthers offense looks to rebound Siloam Springs' offense struggled to move the ball at times in 2016 as injuries took their toll all over the field. The Panthers averaged just more than 250 yards a game — the lowest average in several years. Siloam Springs scored 167 points in 10 games, for an average of 16.7 points per game and the Panthers were shut out twice. Quarterbacks Graduated senior Luke Lampton rushed for 648 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2016, while passing for 1,295 yards, eight touchdowns and 16 interceptions. The Panthers will now turn to a pair of underclassmen to man the quarterback position in 2017 in junior L.T. Ellis and sophomore Taylor Pool. "I've been very pleased with both of them," said Siloam Springs head coach Bryan Ross, who also is the team's offen - sive play-caller. "I can see both of them playing." While Lampton was more of a running threat, Ross said both Ellis and Pool are more of a threat throwing the football. Ellis appears to be a little ahead of Pool in fall practice, Ross said. "But Taylor's got a bright future," Ross said. "You're always just one play away. It's nice to have two guys you feel can move the ball and move the team." Ellis (5-foot-10, 157) played in a few games as a sophomore, including seeing extensive playing time in the Panthers' loss against Greenwood when Lampton went down with an injury. Ellis complet - ed 6 of 14 passes for 63 yards and one interception in that game. On the season, he completed 9 of 27 passes for 109 yards with two inter- ceptions. "L.T.'s a competitor," Ross said. "He plays multiple sports and he likes to compete. The thing I like about him is he's coachable. If you get on him a little bit and coach him hard, he re- sponds well. He's still going to make some mistakes from not having as much experience, but he learns from his mistakes." Ellis also plays basketball and baseball for the Panthers, while Pool also plays baseball. Both started on the baseball team as a sophomore and freshman, respectively, last year. Ross said Ellis really throws the ball well and has the capability of running it. "He's mobile enough where he can be more of a scrambler type," Ross said. "He scrambles more to give himself a chance to throw." Pool (5-10, 154) was slated to start for the freshman team last year but missed the entire season with a broken hand. "He had a good spring for us," Ross said of Pool. "I've been really pleased with him. He seems to be a student of the game. I've got a lot of confidence in him, too. He's got a strong arm. He spins it well. He gets good location on it. I feel good about the abilities of our kids to do what we want them to do." Sophomore Tate Criner (5-9, 138) played some quarterback as a freshman when Pool went down. He'll get some reps at quarterback throughout the ju - nior varsity season and practices. Running backs Ross hopes a strong running game will help the Panthers' young quarterbacks as the season goes on. Junior running back Kaiden Thrailkill figures to be a big piece of the Panthers' rushing attack. Thrailkill opened the 2016 season as the Panthers' starting running back as a sophomore, but he sprained an ankle in the first quarter against Rogers. n Plenty of new faces will be seen at multiple positions. By Graham Thomas Staff Writer n gthomas@nwadg.com See OFFENSE on Page 3