Siloam Proud

2018

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and Lady Panthers' programs has not stopped the teams from having success. The Siloam Springs boys and girls soccer teams have won a combined seven state championships in that period, along with two state runner-up finishes. In those five years, the Lady Panthers have gone 87-28-3, while the boys have a record of 75-34-6. Combined, that's a mark of 162-62-9. Ray is the only coach on staff to have been there for all five years, and from the girls team perspective she said it was important to have a constant in the locker room for the players to look up to. "That can be hard because you have relationships with these girls and you un - derstand the struggle that they're going through," she said. "You have to lead them through that, but you're also supporting your head coach always. As an assistant, you have to always have the head coach's back. The girls weren't always content in that situation. To be that con - stant for them and help them be content in whatever situ- ation we had, that was huge. I think if there's anything I've given to the girls' program, I think it's been good for them to have a female that knows soccer, that pours into them, and that's been there for all of it." In the spring of 2014, un - der Bowen, Siloam Springs captured its first Class 6A girls state championship with a 3-2 win in penalty kicks over Mountain Home. With a loaded roster com - ing back, along with the team's best freshman class ever, expectations were ex- tremely high for the Lady Panthers in 2015 as well, but the team had adversity hit right before the season started. Bowen was placed on an administrative leave of absence and eventually re - signed, and former assistant coach Chuck Jones took over as head coach of the boys and girls programs. Both teams — playing their inaugural season in Panther Stadium — ad - vanced to the Class 6A state championship game, where the Siloam Springs girls defeated Searcy 1-0 for the state title, while the boys lost to Russellville 2-1. In 2016, under Brent Cren - shaw, both teams returned to the state championship, and this time both teams were successful as the girls won their third straight and the boys won the program's third title. The Panthers and Lady Panthers both won state titles again in 2017. In 2018, the Siloam Springs girls won an unprecedented fifth straight girls title, some - thing that no girls team has ever done in Arkansas, while the boys were defeated. Crenshaw said Ray has been a valuable piece of the coaching staff. "She does a great job com - municating with our teams on a team level and indi- vidual level," Crenshaw said. "You don't hear her much during games, but she is great at pulling a girl aside in the locker room at halftime to give her some pointers or confidence." Running for rings Ray has also been an im- portant part of the Siloam Springs cross country coach- ing staff the last five seasons. "Abby is vital to our cross country program," said head coach Sharon Jones. "She is so determined to do a good job. She really cares about her role in our program and appreci - ates knowing her job." Ray's first season on the staff just happens to be the last year a SSHS girls team didn't win the state champi- onship. The Lady Panthers were state runners-up in 2013, finishing second to Lake Hamilton. Since then though, in girls cross country, it's been all Siloam Springs as the Lady Panthers took home the 6A state title in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Jones gives Ray a lot of credit for helping in the suc - cess of the program, but Ray says her head coach Jones and the runners are the main reason the program is so suc- cessful. "She is amazing," Ray said of Jones. "You know it's easy for me to point out how I've had a direct impact in soccer. I could go back every year and tell you this is what I've done every year in soccer to help us get there. With cross country it's really different because Sharon does do such a good job. She plans the workouts. She prepares their bodies so they can run 5Ks faster than anybody else in the state. She does all of that. I love working with her." Ray said her main influence in the cross country program is that of a motivator. "(The kids) will ask me for a pep talk before they run," she said. "I can't take much credit for any of those rings. The kids, they'll run through walls. They put their bodies through such hard things. How many other sports do you see the game end with kids throwing up? In cross country you push your body to that limit, and that is amazing to me that the kids are willing to do that." Ray said often she has to help the runners deal with pre-race jitters. "They have fear before some of the meets," she said, "because they know how bad it's going to hurt." A passion for coaching When Ray began her coaching career, she never imagined it would turn into one of her greatest passions. "I thought it'd be fine," she said. "I was doing it to make a little extra money or what - ever. I loved it. I think a huge part of coaching for me is the motivation and encourage- ment of those athletes and building that relationship." She's been in leadership positions before. As a player in high school and college she was a team captain for six of the eight seasons she played. "As a coach you're auto - matically there," Ray said. "You're automatically lead- ing. I learned a lot, and I think I've gotten better every year. You know I've coached under a lot of different peo- ple and learned from a lot of people. I've learned things to do and things not to do." There have been some highlights along the way, too, that weren't necessarily in the championship game. There was the 2015 state girls soccer semifinals against Mountain Home. Siloam Springs trailed 2-0 late in the match before the Lady Panthers exploded to score five goals in the last 15 minutes and win 5-2. "That was the most excit - ing game I've ever been a part of," Ray said. "I think that tops all of our state championships. That game — we had girls crying on the sidelines. I talk about it. I was talking to my girls about it, and Brooklyn Buckminster reaches out and touches my arm. I gave myself chills just talking about that game." Ray said now she'll refer to the Lady Panthers' rally against Russellville this past season in the state quarter - finals on the Lady Cyclones' home field. Siloam Springs trailed 1-0 in the second half before scoring two goals to advance to the state semi- finals. "I told the girls in Russell- ville, this is the game I want to start talking about and they did it," she said. "It was awesome." The next day, before Si- loam Springs played Searcy in the semifinals, Ray had another message for her players. "I told them as a player, I never got to the finals," she said. "For me, one of the most exciting things about getting to the finals is you get another week of soccer. If you lose in the semifinals your season is over, and that's devastating to me because I love being with these girls. That was my pregame talk to them this year. I do not want this to be over. I do not want our seniors to leave. We need one more week of this. That was my pitch to get to the finals." At the end of the day, Ray said, it really isn't about the rings. It's about the experi - ence. "It was about one more week together," she said. "What I told them was these rings, they're so awesome. They're so fun to win and they're fun to show off. But they sit in my closet in the boxes collecting dust. What matters more than the rings is the experience, the expe - rience of high school soccer, high school cross country, being a part of that family. I remember the last time I played in a college game and putting my jersey on, think - ing this will be the last time I am ever part of something, part of a close group. I see that in our athletes. They're a part of something. They're part of a group." Ray hopes to be the leader of that group someday — as a head coach. "I want to be a head coach," she said. "I want it so bad. I've reached this point too, I've never won one of these as a player. I've gotten 11 as an assistant coach. I don't even care about win - ning one as a head coach. I'm ready to have that responsi- bility. I'm ready to have that different role." Proud Milestones 8D n Wednesday, June 27, 2018 Siloam Springs Herald-Leader Shelley Putman Tim Davis Carla Wagner Danny Wasson Mike Whorton Blake Farmer Lucy Wasson Karen Andrews Janice Low Steve Low 441 Hwy. 412 W., Siloam Springs | 479-524-5131 • wassonfuneralhome.com Serving Northwest Arkansas and Northeastern Oklahoma since 1928 Bob and Sharon Wasson staff Wasson Family for 90 years! Continuous Ownership and Operation by the RAY Continued from Page 1D Graham Thomas/Herald-Leader Pictured are Abby Ray's 10 state championship rings from girls cross country, girls soccer and boys soccer. Ray will receive an 11th ring this fall in honor of the girls soccer team winning its fifth straight state title.

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