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ACTION HEATING & COOLING Like us on: Call today to schedule an Air Conditioning Tune Up! Repairs on all brands 524-0759 We support Panther Football!!! gates.com GATES IS THERE WITH THE RIGHT PRODUCT, IN THE RIGHT PLACE, AT THE RIGHT TIME. DRIVEN BY POSSIBILITY. Good Luck Panthers! 2020 Football Preview Wednesday, August 26, 2020 n 7C Herald-Leader/Westside Eagle Observer Assistant coach Aaron Meier Tight Ends/H-Backs Assistant coach Cole Harriman Def. Coor./Secondary Assistant coach Ehldane Labitad Defensive Line Assistant coach Jonathan Johnson Offensive Line Assistant coach Michael Smith Wide Receivers Assistant coach Tony Coffey Linebackers Head coach Brandon Craig Offensive Coordinator Trainer Ashlyn Wheat Trainer Brian Nitz Panthers lean on experienced defense By Graham Thomas Staff Writer n gthomas@nwadg.com The Siloam Springs Panthers have high expectations for their defense in 2020. The Panthers return eight starters on the defensive side of the ball, and it's a group that was showing tremendous improvement at the end of last season. Siloam Springs shut out Little Rock Hall 40-0 in Week 9 and then hung on in a nail-biter 31-29 in Week 10 at Russellville to qualify for the Class 6A playoffs. In the opening round of the play- offs, the Panthers held a high-scoring Marion team to just 13 points in a 23-13 road victory. The next week, in the quarterfinals against Greenwood, Siloam Springs limited the vaunted Greenwood to just one first half score and a 7-7 tie at halftime, before falling 24-7. It was Greenwood's lowest point total of the season. "No doubt," said head coach Brandon Craig. "There's seven or eight returning starters on defense. A lot of kids have played multiple games. … There's a lot of experience over there. There should be a lot of confidence defensively going into the year." Defensive line It all starts up front for the Panthers' defense on the line where junior J.P. Wills anchors the three-man front at nose guard. Wills (5-8, 225 pounds) was a 6A-West All-Conference selection as a sophomore in 2019. Wills finished with 63 total tackles, nine solo tackles, two See SILOAM DEFENSE on Page 8C