5 A Coach of Year

[Pat Swilling]

my opinion:  Chris Hill - Wynne,  Mike Vaughn - White Hall,

[MDXPHD]

my opinion:  Chris Hill - Wynne,  Mike Vaughn - White Hall,

Hard to argue with Mike Vaughn.

[PA Dad]

I can't argue with either of those picks.  But, I'd throw one more hat in the ring - Coach King at Batesville.  With the injuries that team had this year, he did a great job getting them back to the semifinals.

[Steve Perry 2.11]

Hard to argue with Mike Vaughn.

I'm unfamiliar with Vaughn. What did he do to get this nomination.

[Wonderdog]

I'm unfamiliar with Vaughn. What did he do to get this nomination.

0-10 in 2015
9-2 in 2016 with a conference title

[Steve Perry 2.11]

Wow. Nice turn araound.

[AIREDALE25]

Doug Loughridge or Morriltons HC

[JacketDad]

0-10 in 2015
9-2 in 2016 with a conference title

Hard to beat this performance.

[Yellowcake]

I don't see how it goes to anyone but the White Hall coach.

One man's opinion.

[Pwil11]

Yes the white hall coach is deserving. I also think what the Watson chapel coach went through and still made it to the semi finals. That's impressive too.

[zebrafan]

Yes the white hall coach is deserving. I also think what the Watson chapel coach went through and still made it to the semi finals. That's impressive too.

Same thoughts here. +1

[MikeDiesel™]

I look at it like this:

Hill did what he was supposed to do.  We all knew they would be a state title contender coming into the year.  Same with Kelly at PA.  Alma was preseason top 3 just because they moved back down.  I would say they did what they were supposed to do.   I don't see how he gets it.

What White Hall did was an impressive turn around and Watson Chapel far exceeded expectations.  And what King did at Batesville with losing so much to injury...

I don't see how you could go wrong with any of those three coaches.

[AT]

I think the nominees are:

Coach Dutton

Coach from White Hall (someone remind me of his name)

Coach King

[MikeDiesel™]

Coach Vaughn at White Hall

[Pr8hd]

Vaughn at White Hall due to the turnaround and I believe he & his family were dealing with serious personal issues with a child.

[tmycjy]

Here my vote for finalist

Chris Hill of Wynne
Dave King of batesville
The white Hall head coach
The Watson chapel head coach
The Forrest city head coach no one saw that coming

[ricericebaby]

I think the nominees are:

Coach Dutton

Coach from White Hall (someone remind me of his name)

Coach King

Mike Vaughn is the coach at White Hall.

[Deuceswild]

Coach Vaughn gets my vote especially dealing with family issues on top of a stellar turnaround. Not that other coaches aren't worthy but from the outside looking in, nobody did what he did. He could likely be coach of the year through all schools if it was up to me.

[PrivateLesson]

+1.   Wonderful company all the Coaches are in.  That in of itself is a great award considering how they have helped lead young lives. 

[AT]

I know a lot of people would say Coach Hill is doing what is expected, but Wynne wasn't expected to be NEAR this good. I mean they are top ten in the state...

I think he could be considered for it.

[ricericebaby]

I know a lot of people would say Coach Hill is doing what is expected, but Wynne wasn't expected to be NEAR this good. I mean they are top ten in the state...

I think he could be considered for it.

I agree. Changing the total offensive scheme of a team and then ending up playing for a State Championship in only the second year of running that offense. Also, at the beginning of the year, Wynne was only ranked 5th or 6th in 5A.

[Maynard G Krebs]

I can think of a few FF posters that want to throw their hat in the ring for this honor.

[SouthsideSouthernerDad]

I can't argue with either of those picks.  But, I'd throw one more hat in the ring - Coach King at Batesville.  With the injuries that team had this year, he did a great job getting them back to the semifinals.

My thoughts exactly!

[Iknewthemwhen]

Dutton was dealing with a seriously ill newborn throughout the season and is still dealing with that.  He made the decision to remove a few players including a starting QB for disciplinary reasons in the height of the conference season.  He restructured and kept the kids playing hard, weathered the criticism and righted the ship.  Chapel was one game away from playing for a state championship.  Did anyone expect that? Dutton.

[Chief_Osceola™]

I can think of a few FF posters that want to throw their hat in the ring for this honor.

We all know many posters here would be superior to any of the coaches mentioned.  Some even watch Hudl highlights religiously.

[Chief_Osceola™]

My vote would go to either Vaughn or Dutton.  Going through what they have dealt with and are dealing with, and the ability to compartmentalize, is very impressive and deserves recognition.

[Oldbadger]

Guys, I post on 4A and 6A, but I was interested in the Coach of the Year for 5A.  After reading this string I would have to say, of all the coaches mentioned, I would have to vote for Vaughn from White Hall.  I don't know him at all.  But, aside from any other issues involved, for a coach to turn an 0-10 around in one year to a 9-2 team takes a heckava coach who has done one heckuva coaching job. Of those mentioned, this guy is deserving.

[Devil Dog 17]

My vote would be Chris Hill at Wynne.  I would like for honorable mention to go to Cody McNabb at Morrilton.  At one point, Morrilton was 4-1 with their only loss coming from a very good Rsvl team.  After a 4 game forfeiture because of a kicker that was 15 day too old, Morr went to 0-5. The team could have went south, but responded by winning 5 in a row. Coach McNabb held that team together during a difficult time.  On the field, Morr was 9-2 with their only losses coming from two teams playing for state championships.

[Iknewthemwhen]

Dutton was dealing with a seriously ill newborn throughout the season and is still dealing with that.  He made the decision to remove a few players including a starting QB for disciplinary reasons in the height of the conference season.  He restructured and kept the kids playing hard, weathered the criticism and righted the ship.  Chapel was one game away from playing for a state championship.  Did anyone expect that? Dutton.

I believe Chapel was 4-7 last year.  They wound up 8-5 this year.  Losses to Pine Bluff, Warren, Hot Springs Lakeside, Magnolia, Wynne.  The HC removed the starting QB and went with the backup. Two of the losses occurred during that period. He also has had his baby in Childrens Hospital since early in the season.  To come back and get a game away from the Championship game is pretty impressive.
Not knocking anybody but how far did they get and where were they expected to finish. Coaching, dealing with family medical problems, teaching kids how to deal with adversity and bounce back.  That's impressive.

[oldjacketman]

Dutton, hands down. He lost actual starters and still managed to be successful. Great example for all coaches to follow. Much respect for him.

[TNT_15]

I'm sorry but considering the white hall coach is insaine. This team would not have even made the playoffs in central or east conference and maybe even the west. Then they got the easiest group of 4 I have ever seen. The road to the final four was paved and they were absolutely dominated by an average LRC team.

[TNT_15]

Dutton, hands down. He lost actual starters and still managed to be successful. Great example for all coaches to follow. Much respect for him.

Remind me who he coaches for

[Red Devil Alum]

You can't argue with White Hall's coach, though Kevin Kelley is the best coach in 5A. So I guess it depends on your definition of the award.

[PA Dad]

I think the award usually goes to the coach who most exceeded expectations.  That rules Kelley out every year because the expectations for PA are always high.

[ROLLINtheDICE]

Coach McNabb has had a lot of adversity to overcome this year

[FD4]

Don't agree with Dad on the KK thing, 3 in row is hard to do no matter what sport or league it is in.  He should be considered.  The "Hat Trick" is a coveted mark to say the least.

[Iknewthemwhen]

Shouldn't this award be about exceeding expectations and doing a great job despite adversity? I think if you look at what some programs have and how they do as compared to some programs with great resources and how they do, the bar should be a bit higher for those programs with lots of resources for what is coach of the year.  just my opinion.

[AT]

Shouldn't this award be about exceeding expectations and doing a great job despite adversity? I think if you look at what some programs have and how they do as compared to some programs with great resources and how they do, the bar should be a bit higher for those programs with lots of resources for what is coach of the year.  just my opinion.

Who sets the expectations? Seems the popular opinion here was that Wynne would beat PA and the poll weren't that close.

Just playing Devil's Advocate. I think after the championship game, Coach Kelley has a good resume for it.

[PA Dad]

Who sets the expectations? Seems the popular opinion here was that Wynne would beat PA and the poll weren't that close.

Just playing Devil's Advocate. I think after the championship game, Coach Kelley has a good resume for it.

He does if the award is measured by success or by how well a coach performs.  But he can't win it if the award is about exceeding expectations.

[AT]

He does if the award is measured by success or by how well a coach performs.  But he can't win it if the award is about exceeding expectations.

But even if it is, he did didn't he? Expectations changed to PA being most likely runner up. They are the champions.

[PA Dad]

But even if it is, he did didn't he? Expectations changed to PA being most likely runner up. They are the champions.

I like your argument.  But I don't think it will happen.  Even I think a coach who takes a team from 0-10 to 10-2 has a better argument than a coach who won the championship but was expected to be in the championship game all year.

[AT]

Coach of the year doesn't have to be simply expectations OR success, it really has to be a lot of factors in my opinion.

Success should definitely play a part. An 0-10 team who was handed a bad deck probably doesn't have a coach of the year although it's possible he got every amount of effort and schemed until his face was blue.

Exceeding expectations should play a part. A coach who has 5 division 1 recruits, especially when it's pretty obvious it's raw athleticism and not developed ability, and just rides on their shoulders probably doesn't deserve it either.

But these standards aren't really objective, so even mixing the two in some fashion is difficult to measure.

I like to think of it as "replacement difference". If I replaced this coach with an average coach this year, how much worse do they do?

[AT]

I like your argument.  But I don't think it will happen.  Even I think a coach who takes a team from 0-10 to 10-2 has a better argument than a coach who won the championship but was expected to be in the championship game all year.

Not to take anything from White Hall because I don't know the situation, but what if that 0-10 is the result of bad/questionable coaching decisions in the first place? 0-10 to 10-2 is a great story, but were the athletes there for 0-10? Was there something else that factored in?

I mean if a team just mails it in to 0-10 and then starts the next season with some more motivation and maybe weaker competition, they go 10-2, which I think is a plausible scenario sometimes, you have to wonder if that's coach of the year material.

[MDXPHD]

Kelley was expected to win the championship this year by most people who watch football. A lot of people chose win on the poll because they were hopeful Wynne would beat them, but it was obvious the two teams weren't even close. Kelley didn't do anything exceptional that wasn't expected by the rest of the state. Kelley will be expected to win next year as well. I'm pretty sure no PA qb who has started 3 years has lost in his third year, and I (along with most other people except Wynne fans) expect the same from Hatcher.

[AT]

Kelley was expected to win the championship this year by most people who watch football. A lot of people chose win on the poll because they were hopeful Wynne would beat them, but it was obvious the two teams weren't even close. Kelley didn't do anything exceptional that wasn't expected by the rest of the state. Kelley will be expected to win next year as well. I'm pretty sure no PA qb who has started 3 years has lost in his third year, and I (along with most other people except Wynne fans) expect the same from Hatcher.

Says you, but expectations aren't just driven by your opinion. Wynne was the favorite by almost every outlet I saw. Not all of them, but most of them.

[AT]

This is coming from a guy who also thought PA was going to win the game, by the way.

[MDXPHD]

Says you, but expectations aren't just driven by your opinion. Wynne was the favorite by almost every outlet I saw. Not all of them, but most of them.

Well, then Kelley exceeded expectations because the media thought Wynne would beat him in the championship? I just don't buy it. A coach turning a team around from going win-less to competing for a conference championship seems more deserving. Again, this is obviously my opinion. Kelley did nothing that wasn't expected from him or his team this year I don't think.

[AT]

Well, then Kelley exceeded expectations because the media thought Wynne would beat him in the championship? I just don't buy it. A coach turning a team around from going win-less to competing for a conference championship seems more deserving. Again, this is obviously my opinion. Kelley did nothing that wasn't expected from him or his team this year I don't think.

That's the question I'm asking, who sets expectations? Other coaches, Hooten's, Fearless, other media outlets?

I would think it's a mix of them all obviously.

I would agree that he didn't do anything that wasn't expected out of him, which is why my argument of "replacement" would be my criteria. Think of it as WAR from baseball.

[Grond]

Would like to see Vaughn from White hall get the award, although Watson Chapel's coach is deserving, too.

I played for Vaughn when he was Offensive Coordinator at White in 1981, 1982, & 1983. He was quick to make a decision during a game, and quick to learn from his mistakes; smart coach.

[MDXPHD]

What about Youngsta? I think he deserves it.