Gentry is Open

[Loyalfan1]

nevermind

[nuttinbuthogs]

Was at a gathering the other day I heard they will likely go with guy on staff.

[beach bum]

Was at a gathering the other day I heard they will likely go with guy on staff.

That's probably so Little can still have a say in things....

[Tigerdad2]

if you're a losing program, you don't hire from within.

[beach bum]

Exactly... the whole situation sounds odd.

[always88]

If they hire from within with the way their program has been since Littles arrival, they should fire from within, starting with Superintendent and then AD.

[nuttinbuthogs]

I can understand why you think you would not hire from within, but are you sure there is nobody already in the program that can get the job done?  You seem to think the problem was with Little.  Little is gone maybe that fixes what was wrong? 

[always88]

Little remains as AD and the direct boss of the incoming coach. If a current staffer (that Little hired as an assistant in the first place) is advanced to HC, what is the possibility of anything changing? Slim to none!

[nuttinbuthogs]

so who has applied that is better than who is there now?

[always88]

To my knowledge,  applicant list has not been made public.

[nuttinbuthogs]

Oh, well somebody posted on another thread they had seen a list that included some coach from PG.  So I was just wondering.

[Brian G]

Barry Alvarez situation

[whippersnapper]

Barry Alvarez situation

But at least Alvarez left his situation better then he got it.

[Loyalfan1]

No big shot 7A assistant coaches wanna try Gentry?

[whippersnapper]

Little was a "big shot" assistant from rogers when Peacock was still there. That's what got him the job. Peacocks success.

[beach bum]

No big shot 7A assistant coaches wanna try Gentry?

No they would take a pay cut and actually have to develop players with only 30 to 40 players.

[beach bum]

Little was a "big shot" assistant from rogers when Peacock was still there. That's what got him the job. Peacocks success.

Gravette, Gentry, and Pea Ridge all have former 7A assistants and still cant overthrow ole Danny Abshier at PG... although I do really like Gravette and Pea Ridge's town, school & athletic facilities, programs, and their coaching staffs are top notch at those 2 places.

[SUGARTOWN]

Little was a "big shot" assistant from rogers when Peacock was still there. That's what got him the job. Peacocks success.

Gravette, Gentry, and Pea Ridge all have former 7A assistants and still cant overthrow ole Danny Abshier at PG... although I do really like Gravette and Pea Ridge's town, school & athletic facilities, programs, and their coaching staffs are top notch at those 2 places.

I believe Pea Ridge did last season...

[beach bum]

Little was a "big shot" assistant from rogers when Peacock was still there. That's what got him the job. Peacocks success.

Gravette, Gentry, and Pea Ridge all have former 7A assistants and still cant overthrow ole Danny Abshier at PG... although I do really like Gravette and Pea Ridge's town, school & athletic facilities, programs, and their coaching staffs are top notch at those 2 places.

I believe Pea Ridge did last season...

I meant to clarify longevity  of a program... PG is 18 out of 19 years as the 4 seed or better with Abshier there the entire time. That will never change either as long as he is there. They will finish in the top half of the conference from now on until he retires.... crazy the consistenty he established. No other programs in the 1-4A can say that.

[beach bum]

And Shiloh isn't an "official" member of the 1-4A if you know what I mean    ... the NWA folks will agree.

[Tigerdad2]

He's a great man and coach! I agree Gravette and Pea Ridge also have good Head Coaches. They all have something in common, they are humble guys and their teams reflect that, I think Little needs to take some pointers from those guys.

[always88]

Gentry is rumored to have hired Paul Ernest from Nashville as new head coach

[beach bum]

Gentry is rumored to have hired Paul Ernest from Nashville as new head coach

So you can't beat Prairie Grove, Lincoln, or Dardanelle come playoff time with all the talent at Nashville... yet somehow you can at Gentry. I do no see the logic in this hire. Little probably got all caught up in hiring a spread offense guy. This isn't Nashville, its Gentry. You may want to hire a hard nosed offense guy. But remember, we are talking about the almighty Little from the Rogers' Peacock line who can't even figure out how to stop Prairie Grove, Pea Ridge, and Gravette running it down Gentrys throat on a yearly basis.

[nuttinbuthogs]

Did say it was a rumor.  Where was Ernest before Nashville?  I guess he didn't like not getting the HC job at Nashville. 

[Tigerdad2]

Gentry and Berryville will battle for last place every year. Little is the AD and his athletic programs are horrible including the sport he was the HC of. Their is a reason why bad teams stay bad and it starts at the top

[Coach DePriest, Sheridan]

Ernest would be a great hire. I believe he was HC at Horatio before Perry hired him at Nashville. Good dude. Congrats to Gentry if this is indeed their guy.

[nuttinbuthogs]

Any word on who else was or is in the running for this position.  Any assistants from the larger schools in NWA?

[hawgfan15]

Ernest has accepted the job

[nuttinbuthogs]

What was Ernest position at Nashville?

[nuttinbuthogs]

 Guy has his work cut out for him.

[SUGARTOWN]

Gentry is rumored to have hired Paul Ernest from Nashville as new head coach

So you can't beat Prairie Grove, Lincoln, or Dardanelle come playoff time with all the talent at Nashville... yet somehow you can at Gentry. I do no see the logic in this hire. Little probably got all caught up in hiring a spread offense guy. This isn't Nashville, its Gentry. You may want to hire a hard nosed offense guy. But remember, we are talking about the almighty Little from the Rogers' Peacock line who can't even figure out how to stop Prairie Grove, Pea Ridge, and Gravette running it down Gentrys throat on a yearly basis.

He wasn't the head coach at Nashville, so I wouldn't really say that HE can't beat those teams. Plus, maybe he thinks if he can just improve Gentry he can get noticed and move on to something bigger. Lot of schools in NWA...getting out of SW Arkansas may be a great move for him.

[beach bum]

Good luck winning at Gentry...drive through Pea Ridge, Gravette, Prairie Grove, and Farmington. Then go drive through Gentry and you will get the picture. Gentry looks more like Decatur than the other 4 towns. Its pretty sad when you have to drop Charleston off your non conference slate and play Decatur next year... you heard that right. Gentry is playing one if the worst 2A programs because they could not honor its 2 year non conference contract with an opponent so you go pick an automatic win against Decatur. That would be like  Stuttgart breaking a contract with McGehee mid cycle if they were scheduled to play instead then settle for playing Marvell. What a challenge Marvell would be for a 4A school.

[SUGARTOWN]

But there's apparently 3 schools in the conference worse than Gentry since they have made the playoffs the last 2 years.


P.S. You know the board is slow when we are debating Gentry. 

[Loyalfan1]

Coach E is a great guy and will work his tail off to better Gentry.

[Tigerdad2]

Coach E probably is a great guy and I won't argue that, but his title was OC at Nashville, whether he really called the plays or not idk. My point is, running zone read left and right, occasionally throwing a bubble pass and mainly throwing a fade to a D1 receiver will not work at Gentry. Look at Pea Ridge , Gravette and PG, they run the ball well, they realize the type of kids they have and run a offense that works with those kids, that's part of coaching. Now Gentry is 24-55 and two playoff appearances in 8 years under Little. Their are 4 teams in the conference that are way below the best 4. So it's a toss up every year to get the 5 seed. You have a 25 percent chance to get the 5 every year

[phdefense]

Good luck winning at Gentry...drive through Pea Ridge, Gravette, Prairie Grove, and Farmington. Then go drive through Gentry and you will get the picture. Gentry looks more like Decatur than the other 4 towns. Its pretty sad when you have to drop Charleston off your non conference slate and play Decatur next year... you heard that right. Gentry is playing one if the worst 2A programs because they could not honor its 2 year non conference contract with an opponent so you go pick an automatic win against Decatur. That would be like  Stuttgart breaking a contract with McGehee mid cycle if they were scheduled to play instead then settle for playing Marvell. What a challenge Marvell would be for a 4A school.

With 2015 being the beginning of a new 2 year cycle how are they breaking a contract? The FF schedule shows Gentry playing Charleston the past two years. Is that not correct?

[gameoflife]

They need a young, players minded coach. Gentry needs to get its numbers up. 25 to 30 players can not get it done in 4A.

Also, I think with a disciplined, hard nosed offense and a defense that is sowed up Gentry could consistently be in the playoffs year after year for a while.

[gameoflife]

Gentry is rumored to have hired Paul Ernest from Nashville as new head coach

So you can't beat Prairie Grove, Lincoln, or Dardanelle come playoff time with all the talent at Nashville... yet somehow you can at Gentry. I do no see the logic in this hire. Little probably got all caught up in hiring a spread offense guy. This isn't Nashville, its Gentry. You may want to hire a hard nosed offense guy. But remember, we are talking about the almighty Little from the Rogers' Peacock line who can't even figure out how to stop Prairie Grove, Pea Ridge, and Gravette running it down Gentrys throat on a yearly basis.

So isn't this a younger player minded guy? He's a spread guy isn't he? So is that hard nosed?  I'm not sure what you are getting at as far as what they needed and what they hired?  I'm just wondering what you think about the hire in terms of what you thought they needed to get?

[SouthpawSensation]

Good luck winning at Gentry...drive through Pea Ridge, Gravette, Prairie Grove, and Farmington. Then go drive through Gentry and you will get the picture. Gentry looks more like Decatur than the other 4 towns. Its pretty sad when you have to drop Charleston off your non conference slate and play Decatur next year... you heard that right. Gentry is playing one if the worst 2A programs because they could not honor its 2 year non conference contract with an opponent so you go pick an automatic win against Decatur. That would be like  Stuttgart breaking a contract with McGehee mid cycle if they were scheduled to play instead then settle for playing Marvell. What a challenge Marvell would be for a 4A school.

With 2015 being the beginning of a new 2 year cycle how are they breaking a contract? The FF schedule shows Gentry playing Charleston the past two years. Is that not correct?

Actually, the 2015 football season is the second year of the two-year cycle. New cycle doesn't begin until the 2016-17 school year.

[whippersnapper]

Gameoflife I think peolle like beach bum, and myself. Feel like gentry would just be better suited in a multiple back offense. Whether it is the wing t, wishbone, or dead t. Just something to give them a brtter chance to win. Milk the clock, play good defense, stress special teams and turnovers.

[phdefense]

Good luck winning at Gentry...drive through Pea Ridge, Gravette, Prairie Grove, and Farmington. Then go drive through Gentry and you will get the picture. Gentry looks more like Decatur than the other 4 towns. Its pretty sad when you have to drop Charleston off your non conference slate and play Decatur next year... you heard that right. Gentry is playing one if the worst 2A programs because they could not honor its 2 year non conference contract with an opponent so you go pick an automatic win against Decatur. That would be like  Stuttgart breaking a contract with McGehee mid cycle if they were scheduled to play instead then settle for playing Marvell. What a challenge Marvell would be for a 4A school.

With 2015 being the beginning of a new 2 year cycle how are they breaking a contract? The FF schedule shows Gentry playing Charleston the past two years. Is that not correct?

Actually, the 2015 football season is the second year of the two-year cycle. New cycle doesn't begin until the 2016-17 school year.

Gotcha, I brain farted on that one.

[Coach DePriest, Sheridan]

A good coach will have his kids competing regardless of scheme. I think we get too caught up in what scheme fits what kids when the important part is getting the assistant coaches and players to buy in and sell out for it. I'm not sure what scheme Ernest will run, but he is a smart coach and will put his players in the position he best thinks they need to be in to win. 

I imagine if you look back at what he did at Horatio (probably 2010 and a few yrs before) and then sprinkle in some Coach Perry and possibly a lot of Coach Dawson then you will have the offense. Or he may just take all of y'alls advice and run the wing t, dead t, double wing, or single wing. Who knows, but regardless, I think he will do a good job. You'll be hard pressed to find someone say something negative about him.

[Tigerdad2]

A good coach will have his kids competing regardless of scheme. I think we get too caught up in what scheme fits what kids when the important part is getting the assistant coaches and players to buy in and sell out for it. I'm not sure what scheme Ernest will run, but he is a smart coach and will put his players in the position he best thinks they need to be in to win. 

I imagine if you look back at what he did at Horatio (probably 2010 and a few yrs before) and then sprinkle in some Coach Perry and possibly a lot of Coach Dawson then you will have the offense. Or he may just take all of y'alls advice and run the wing t, dead t, double wing, or single wing. Who knows, but regardless, I think he will do a good job. You'll be hard pressed to find someone say something negative about him.

You should know what he is going to run best, their is a connection between Dawson , Harbison , Peacock, and Little, that's why the hire was made

[nuttinbuthogs]

So coach, you don't think scheme matters?  That's an interesting view. Rarely hear that on here, where most folks seem to like the spread regardless of talent.  Odd to find guys voicing an interest in the Dead T, Wing T, Double Wing and such. 

[Tigerdad2]

Try and run the spread at PG and see what happens, they will turn into gentry

[nuttinbuthogs]

A good coach will have his kids competing regardless of scheme. I think we get too caught up in what scheme fits what kids when the important part is getting the assistant coaches and players to buy in and sell out for it. I'm not sure what scheme Ernest will run, but he is a smart coach and will put his players in the position he best thinks they need to be in to win. 

I imagine if you look back at what he did at Horatio (probably 2010 and a few yrs before) and then sprinkle in some Coach Perry and possibly a lot of Coach Dawson then you will have the offense. Or he may just take all of y'alls advice and run the wing t, dead t, double wing, or single wing. Who knows, but regardless, I think he will do a good job. You'll be hard pressed to find someone say something negative about him.

You should know what he is going to run best, their is a connection between Dawson , Harbison , Peacock, and Little, that's why the hire was made

How does that line work together?  Little worked for Peacock at Rogers, hows the rest fit?

[gameoflife]

I think Harbison also spent time at Rogers? Dawson spent a year in NWA.

[Coach DePriest, Sheridan]

I'm a spread guy, so you won't see me coming in and running the wing T, but I can change how we run the offense based on our personel.  In 2013, we were spread with an H-back/Superback that was very versatile and were 65% run, with a decent mix of power, inside zone, counter, and buck sweep.  In 2014, we had no H-back, so we were all 1-back/no-back running almost exclusive inside zone and were 58% pass (our back was injured much of the year).  This next year, we will have that H-back type again but will be split zone as opposed to power/counter because of our guards.  We will be more run heavy because we have more backs but less playmakers at receiver.

Now if a wing T or wishbone guy came to Harrison, he may be able to duplicate our offensive success with a different philosophy.  Again, I think the key is getting the coaches and players to buy in.  One of the best examples I can think of in Steve Janski at Heber Springs.  He was a spread guy, but he comes into Heber Springs and can't find a guy that can throw the ball.  I believe he went into a double wing or dead T type offense and was able to win.  I believe he eventually started spreading it out once he was able to get his program going and developed some QB's.

I hate to say that scheme doesn't matter, but every coach is going to run what he knows best or what he thinks is best for the players he has.  Coach Gilleran and I actually got into this argument at the FCA Family Retreat during the Christmas break.  He said you can't run the spread at Fountain Lake with the kids they have and with the conference they're in (similar to what you guys are saying about Gentry).  But the fact of the matter is that he is going to run the wing-T whether he is at Fountain Lake, PA, NLR, or Fayetteville.  And if he were able to get the coaches and players to buy in, I think he could win.  If I were the HC at Fountain Lake, I would run the spread, and I'd like to think we would be successful.   


As for the connection, Harbison worked for Dawson at Siloam and worked with Little at Rogers.  Have no idea how that has anything to do with the hire.

[Beaver Fever]

I can kinda agree with you and coach gilleran.  I watched the fl/bauxite game this year and bauxite was by far the more talented of the two teams.  But since they insisted on running the spread they lost. 

I think if a good spread guy went to fl they could win if the kids buy into it like they have bought into the wing t...

Another advantage the wingt/deadt/single wing/ is as older d coordinators get out of football the younger guys who very seldom see it struggle to defend it.  It seems like the younger ones "specialize" in stopping the spread

[purpleswag]

I'm a spread guy, so you won't see me coming in and running the wing T, but I can change how we run the offense based on our personel.  In 2013, we were spread with an H-back/Superback that was very versatile and were 65% run, with a decent mix of power, inside zone, counter, and buck sweep.  In 2014, we had no H-back, so we were all 1-back/no-back running almost exclusive inside zone and were 58% pass (our back was injured much of the year).  This next year, we will have that H-back type again but will be split zone as opposed to power/counter because of our guards.  We will be more run heavy because we have more backs but less playmakers at receiver.

Now if a wing T or wishbone guy came to Harrison, he may be able to duplicate our offensive success with a different philosophy.  Again, I think the key is getting the coaches and players to buy in.  One of the best examples I can think of in Steve Janski at Heber Springs.  He was a spread guy, but he comes into Heber Springs and can't find a guy that can throw the ball.  I believe he went into a double wing or dead T type offense and was able to win.  I believe he eventually started spreading it out once he was able to get his program going and developed some QB's.

I hate to say that scheme doesn't matter, but every coach is going to run what he knows best or what he thinks is best for the players he has.  Coach Gilleran and I actually got into this argument at the FCA Family Retreat during the Christmas break.  He said you can't run the spread at Fountain Lake with the kids they have and with the conference they're in (similar to what you guys are saying about Gentry).  But the fact of the matter is that he is going to run the wing-T whether he is at Fountain Lake, PA, NLR, or Fayetteville.  And if he were able to get the coaches and players to buy in, I think he could win.  If I were the HC at Fountain Lake, I would run the spread, and I'd like to think we would be successful.   


As for the connection, Harbison worked for Dawson at Siloam and worked with Little at Rogers.  Have no idea how that has anything to do with the hire.

You argue that scheme doesn't matter yet you literally contradict yourself. Would these not be examples of schemes mattering?