Alma Football
Schlegel’s effort helps Alma to a 29-22 victory over Siloam
By Kevin Taylor
Alma Schools
Alma football coach Rusty Bush doesn’t expect Samuel Schlegel to make every play.
It only seems that way.
The all-purpose senior caught a touchdown pass and ran for two more during the Airedales’ 29-22 win over Siloam Springs Friday at Citizens Bank Field at Airedale Stadium.
After snagging a stunning touchdown pass on the final play of the first half, he scored what turned out to be the clinching TD in the second half, before putting the Panthers to bed by plucking Titus Benson’s final pass attempt to secure the team’s first victory of the 2025 season.
"Sam Schlegel is a dude," Alma coach Rusty Bush said. "He is absolutely a football player. The best thing for me right now is that he is in such a great mindset. He's letting the game come to him."
The Airedales and Panthers traded first-half blows, and Alma appeared headed for a one-point (16-15) halftime when Bush and the Airedales scored on the final play of the half.
Benson scrambled for an 18-yard touchdown run to pull the Panthers within one with 21 seconds left in the first half. But Siloam Springs kicked the ball out of bounds, which would have given Alma the ball at its own 35.
But Bush forced them to kick again, and Ashton Millsap returned the kick 53 yards to the Panther 18. Two plays later, quarterback Chase Parker hit Schlegel with a TD in the back of the end zone of the final play of the half.
"It was a vertical, and D.J. (Alma receiver Dylan Jackson) ran a post," Schlegel said. "He (Parker) just threw it up, and when I saw the ball, I just said I'm going to go get it."
The Panthers took eight minutes off the clock and drove 88 yards in 16 plays for their initial points of the game, with Ryan Estacio darting 10 yards for a 6-0 lead at the 1:58 mark of the first quarter. Boaz Benson's 2-point conversion run made it 8-0.
The Panthers missed a chance on their second possession when a third-down penalty wiped out a 31-yard pass play.
"We've got to be able to perform in tight ballgames," Siloam Springs coach Doug Loughridge said. "The mistakes we made came back to hurt us."
After forcing a punt from their end zone, Alma drove 36 yards in six plays to the game on Schlegel's 1-yard run. Josiah Stallings' 2-point conversion catch tied the game at 8-8.
Dallas Perkins' 11-yard run and sophomore Jay Lemieux's 2-point conversion run gave the Airedales a 16-8 lead.
But the Panthers drove 66 yards in two plays, with Benson's run pulling the visitors to within one.
Millsap's long return and Schlegel's second TD gave the Airedales a 23-15 halftime lead.
Schlegel's third touchdown of the game, a 4-yard run late in the third quarter, extended Alma's lead to 29-15.
Defense
Junior Izaac Plourde turned in another stellar defensive effort in Friday’s win over Siloam Springs with 11 tackles and one tackle for loss. Two weeks into the season, Plourde leads the Airedales with 28 tackles.
Colton Nutt had a season-high 10 stops, including a TFL, during the win over Siloam Springs. He is sixth overall with 15 tackles through two weeks.
Demetrius Humphrey (20), Owen McCoy (17), Andrew Bush, and Tristan Nutt have 16 apiece through the first two games. Jackson Rust had a season-high eight stops in Friday’s win.
Special Teams
Senior Ashton Millsap’s 53-yard kickoff return led to Chase Parke’s last-second touchdown pass at the end of the first half in Friday’s win. He was far from the top special teams player, however.
Sophomore quarterback Jay Lemieux threw a 2-point conversion pass to Josiah Stallings and ran for another 2-point attempt.
This Day In Airedales History
Sept. 8, 1972
Larry Greenfield threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Rich, and all-state running back Thell Parker added a 19-yard TD run to help fuel the Airedales to a 14-0 win over the Van Buren Pointers.