Episode 2
August 11, 2025 - Elkins, Gravette, and Rogers Football
Host Dave Shoen dives into the exciting upcoming high school football season in this episode, featuring insights from top local coaches. Elkins coach Zach Watson shares his team's journey to the top of Class 4A, detailing the challenge of replacing key graduated seniors while highlighting a promising roster of returning and emerging players. Meanwhile, Gravette’s Kelby Bohannon reflects on the Lions' cultural shift and their commitment to hard work, praising the contributions of both varsity and junior high athletes. Rogers Mounties coach Chad Harbison discusses his team's steady rise within the competitive 7A West and the importance of coaching stability as they aim for deeper playoff runs this year. The discussion also touches on the start of the high school golf and tennis seasons, with local teams already making their mark in early tournaments.
Takeaways:
- Elkins coach Zach Watson highlights the importance of player development as the Elks face new challenges after graduating key seniors.
- Gravette's Kelby Bohannon attributes his team's improvement to a strong culture and the hard work put in by returning players.
- Rogers Mounties coach Chad Harbison emphasizes the significance of coaching stability and hopes for deeper playoff success this season.
- The episode also touches on the promising starts of the high school golf and tennis seasons, showcasing local teams' early successes.
- All coaches agree on the importance of strong feeder programs to ensure a competitive future in their respective conferences.
- The competitive nature of the 7A West conference is highlighted, with each team improving and raising the stakes for this football season.
Transcript
Welcome to the 479 Media Group High School Sports magazine, where we spotlight the teams, coaches and athletes who represent the best in their communities.
Speaker A:I'm Dave Schoen, and for most of the athletes we'll speak about, high school will be the highlight of their careers, while others will be fortunate enough to move on to college athletics and beyond.
Speaker A:And the magazine will focus on all of the athletes during our podcast.
Speaker A:Coming up in this episode, we'll continue our preview of the high school football season as we visit with Elkins Elk's coach Zach Watson, whose program continues its climb to the top of Class 4A with an appearance in the state finals a year after graduating one of its most heralded senior classes.
Speaker A:Their main competition in the 4A1 conference comes from Gravett, and we'll also visit with Lions coach Kelby Bohannon about their continued improvement in his program.
Speaker A:We also speak with Rogers Mounties coach Chad Harbison as the team looks to continue its rise in the 7A west standings.
Speaker A:All of that coming up on the 479 Media Group's high school sports magazine.
Speaker A:Welcome back to the 479 Media Group High School sports magazine, where we'll continue our preview of the high school football season, which kicks off at the end of this month.
Speaker A: d taking it a step further in: Speaker A:Elks coach Zach Watson says the challenges to continue the tradition will only get stronger with stronger competition on the way.
Speaker B:Yeah, Dave, we've been very fortunate.
Speaker B:You know, we've got great players and a great coaching staff and a good community support.
Speaker B:So it's kind of all been working in one direction and our guys play really hard, and so we've been very fortunate last couple years to have great seasons.
Speaker A:Well, talk about last season, particularly if I remember right, you had that outstanding senior class that graduated the year before and the year after.
Speaker A:You had a lot of players coming back that weren't necessarily skill position, but they were able to get together and put together a great season.
Speaker B:Yeah, we had a lot of juniors last year that did a really good job for us and the seniors as well coming back that class.
Speaker B:Probably not as herald as the class before it, but did a good job of working hard and there were some guys in that group that we knew were kind of sleepers and, you know, you Take a look at Jaquay Walden.
Speaker B:I kind of knew what we had in Jaquay.
Speaker B:Not a lot of other people did just because he was behind a player like desean shares.
Speaker B:And so you look for those guys to step up their senior year and kind of what we're looking for our seniors to do this year is to step up and make some progress and be players for us this year.
Speaker A:With the target on your back, who are the players you're going to be counting on to get through this season and continue the process?
Speaker B:Yeah, first you got to take a look at our leaders.
Speaker B:You know, on the offensive side of the ball you've got Ben Napier, who wasn't the starter going into the season last year and unfortunately we had an injury that knocked out our starting quarterback two days before our scrimmage.
Speaker B:And Ben came in and played the whole year and did a fantastic job and really led us.
Speaker B:Ended up, you know, just a lot more than I had expected from Ben.
Speaker B:It just shows a testament to his work and being ready to go when his name's called.
Speaker B:And so he's a guy on the offensive side of the ball at a skill position.
Speaker B:Look at a Hayden Boblitz, started last year at left guard, is going to move out to left tackle who's going to protect Ben.
Speaker B:And so that guy's been really good for us and he's going to anchor that O line up front.
Speaker B:And then on the defensive side of the ball you take a look kind of built through the middle is you got a guy returning and Lucas Meyer who's had a lot of playing time at nose and then at the inside backer spot, you've got Brooks Williams, all state player, three year starter.
Speaker B:And then in our safeties, Jeb Slaughter and Connor Ham.
Speaker B:Those two guys are going to be really special back there and lead that group back there.
Speaker B:And Connor, you know, it's kind of in the same spot Yaquay was in last year.
Speaker B:Nobody knows a lot about him running the football, but he had over a thousand yards rushing on an undefeated 9th grade junior high team.
Speaker B:So we think he's going to be able to fit in there and continue that success that we've had at running back.
Speaker A:Well, and talk about the feeder programs, the ninth grade, the junior varsity programs, junior high, how are they looking this year?
Speaker B:Yeah, no, I'm pleased with those guys.
Speaker B:We had a really good seventh grade bunch last year that's moving up into the eighth grade to go along with a ninth grade group that works really hard.
Speaker B:So I'm really excited about that junior High program and excited to see what they'll do.
Speaker B:And the seventh grade bunch, we practiced with them a little bit this summer.
Speaker B:Probably don't have quite the idea of what they're going to be just yet because we haven't had as many practices that's going to crank up here really soon.
Speaker B:So should find out about those guys really soon.
Speaker B:But very pleased with that.
Speaker B:Got record numbers in both seventh grade and junior high.
Speaker B:So really proud of the numbers that we're getting coming out and excited to see what they're going to do.
Speaker A:Of course, heading into the season.
Speaker A:Of course the target on your back is just gets bigger and you look at that four A1 conference and a lot of teams looking to knock you off.
Speaker B:No doubt they are.
Speaker B:And they're, you know, a really well coached conference.
Speaker B:You got, you got Gravett who's played us as tough as anybody in the league the last couple years and this ninth grade bunch, excuse me, this senior bunch when they were ninth graders, it went into overtime and, and we went on a two point conversion play.
Speaker B:So that should be a battle this year.
Speaker B:Then you've got Prairie Grove coach.
Speaker B:Coach Absher does a, always does a really good job getting his guys ready, so.
Speaker B:And then you got Coach Clark over at Gentry.
Speaker B:You know, they've steadily been getting better and he's done a good job since taking over that program.
Speaker A:One of the teams nipping at the Elks heels are the Gravette Lions who've built a solid program that's returning to their recent record of solid regular seasons.
Speaker A:Coach Kelby Bohannon says that a lot of the credit goes to the players who've helped build the program.
Speaker C:I think all that credit really goes to our players, to our staff, administration and the support that we have.
Speaker C:The kids have really bought into what we're trying to do with our culture and our process and I think the results are a direct reflection of that.
Speaker C:So all the praise goes to those group of guys.
Speaker A:Where have you seen the most improvement in the team over the past few years?
Speaker C:For one, I think it's just like I said, it's a cultural thing for us.
Speaker C:We talk about the standard that we want to be at, how we get there and how we go about our work on a day to day basis.
Speaker C:And you know, the kids have really bought into that.
Speaker C:They work incredibly hard in the weight room and you know, in meeting time and on the practice field and you know, and we've had a lot of consistency within our scheme and what we do and our, with our junior high Programs, they've had a ton of success and it's just kind of built on itself and kind of got us to where we are today.
Speaker A:As you look forward to this year, what, what do you expect the team, where do you feel the team's going to be strong going into the season?
Speaker C:Well, we feel really good about our football team.
Speaker C:The Gravette Lions.
Speaker C:Had a really good summer, you know, summer pride.
Speaker C:Kids were really committed and attendance was good, effort was great.
Speaker C:We went to seven on sevens and team camps and you know, of course our weight room sessions, everything was really good.
Speaker C:And so coming off the nine and two year, you know, the kids want to get back to that, really build off of that.
Speaker C:We had an earlier exit than what we had hoped for in the playoffs, but we got a lot of those kids back, especially at the skill positions and I feel like they're, you know, just as hungry if not more.
Speaker C:And so I think that the future can be really bright for us.
Speaker A:Who are some of the Lions you're going to be counting on this year?
Speaker C:Well, first off, J.D.
Speaker C:beam is a big contributor for us.
Speaker C:Played a wide receiver last year, started at safety as a freshman.
Speaker C:He'll move back to the running back position and will continue to play safety.
Speaker C:He's a two way guy that will make big contributions.
Speaker C:We got a two year starting quarterback back for his senior year in Cameron Bedwell, so we got high hopes for him and then a backup or actually competing for a starting job too throughout fall camp in Hudson Harris to had a really good junior high career and he's now a junior and has big arm talent so we feel really good about that position as well.
Speaker C:Gage Bottorf and Kate Phillips, both of them play corner and wide receiver.
Speaker C:Really good football players and continue to get better and they're both juniors.
Speaker C:Pierce Elsie will be a two way starter at tight end and he's been a three year starter at defensive line.
Speaker C:He's a two way guy that brings great leadership to our football team and you know, to his unit.
Speaker C:And along with the Wolf brothers who you know were new last year, both of those guys start on the defensive side of the ball, will contribute on both sides again.
Speaker C:So we have a lot of two way guys but they brought got some really good experience and are really talented athletes and expect them to do big things for us.
Speaker C:And up front on the defensive side we got Porter Bird who started at nose a year ago and made a lot of big plays.
Speaker C:And Colton Freebe is another guy who had a great winter, spring and summer going to Contribute big time on the defensive line.
Speaker C:He's made great strides and he's certainly going to make us better as well.
Speaker C:On the offensive line, we return Robert Filippo, who was our lone returner on the offensive line, but he's really good.
Speaker C:And we've got three other juniors in Hunter Greer and Ethan Davis, who played a lot at junior high.
Speaker C:And now they're getting their opportunity on Friday nights.
Speaker C:And so once we get that front offensive line solidified, I think we'll be really productive there.
Speaker C:So we got a lot of good pieces and really looking forward to seeing them on Friday night.
Speaker A:And you talked about the junior high program and your feeder programs and that's been the backbone of your success.
Speaker A:And how do you see those seasons going for those teams?
Speaker C:Really good.
Speaker C:You know, we're coming off a conference championship in junior high and so you know that, you know, it's going to carry over with the next group coming up.
Speaker C:They feel that they can have the same success and we do as well.
Speaker C:They've had a really good summer, good attendance.
Speaker C:We got a lot of numbers in those groups and so I think they.
Speaker D:Can be really successful now.
Speaker A:We also talk about that 4A1 conference, Elkins @ the top.
Speaker A:They ran to the state championship game last year.
Speaker A:They're coming back with a lot of players.
Speaker A:Gentry is very good.
Speaker A:It's a good conference up and down.
Speaker A:And where do you see the Lions fitting in?
Speaker C:Well, you're right.
Speaker C:The 4A1 is, is really competitive.
Speaker C:You know, Prairie Grove and Coach Apsher running the wing tee brings a different, you know, wrinkle and toughness to, to, you know, to the conference.
Speaker C:And that's somebody you got to compete, compete with.
Speaker C:And you know, Gentry is always talented and a big rivalry for us and they'll be a good football team.
Speaker C:And then of course, you mentioned Elkins and they just continue to reload every year.
Speaker C:But our expectation is to go and compete for a conference championship, you know, came up just short in week nine versus them a year ago and hopefully to turn the corner.
Speaker C:Hoping to turn the corner this year.
Speaker A:And before you get to that conference schedule and you got the non conference schedule as well.
Speaker A:And who are the teams you're going to be facing your first three weeks?
Speaker C:Well, we'll open up at home versus Pea Ridge, you know, five A school that was a good competitive game last year.
Speaker C:And, you know, we're hoping that, you know, getting them at home, we can go back to back with wins there.
Speaker C:That'll be a tough competition for us.
Speaker C:And then we'll host the J Bulldogs again.
Speaker C:That'll be week one.
Speaker C:So we'll open up zero in week one and then we'll take it on the road to Durant, which is A.
Speaker C:Another 5A school down in Southeastern Oklahoma.
Speaker C:And they're really, really talented football team.
Speaker C:And so hopefully, you know, we can get back to like we were last year.
Speaker C:Start off 3, 0, going into conference play with a lot of confidence.
Speaker A:And you talk about that Jay game in week one with Coach Barnwell on that team, and that is always a good rivalry.
Speaker A:And Jay and Gravett very.
Speaker A:All those, those games are always going to be very competitive.
Speaker C:Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker C:Well, you know, it's close proximity.
Speaker C:We got great attendance, whether it's there, whether it's here and it's, it's a, it's a fun game to play in and like you said, really competitive.
Speaker C:Coach Barnwell, I don't know if, you know, just resigned.
Speaker C:So there'll be a Coach east will be there at the helm and so we've got to see them a little bit over the summer with seven on sevens and they've got some good kids and some, and some abilities there.
Speaker C:And so, yeah, that ought to be a fun game to play.
Speaker A:Coming up, we'll continue our preview of the high school football season when the 479Media Group's high School Sports Magazine continues.
Speaker A:We're back on the 479 Media Group high School Sports Magazine.
Speaker A:Last time we spoke with Bentonville Tigers coach Jody Grant about the continued record of success in his program, which has racked up seven A West championships despite strong pushes by a number of contenders.
Speaker A:One team looking to break through is the Rodgers Mounties, who've slowly built their program to the upper half of the conference during the Chad Harbison era and are looking for a breakthrough year after battling perennial power Conway.
Speaker A: n outstanding senior class in: Speaker A:Coach Harbison said the team's looking for even more success this year.
Speaker D:Yeah, I mean, I mean, obviously, I think, you know, that starts with the, you know, the quality of kids we have here.
Speaker D:I mean, we are.
Speaker D:Our young men worked hard and, and, you know, just continue to buy into what we're doing and gotten stronger.
Speaker D:And I think you're just, you kind of starting to see those results on the field just of the, of the.
Speaker D:Basically the development of the program and development of kids.
Speaker D:And we're at a point now where, you know, everybody that's on our team has been in our system their entire, pretty much the entire time they've been playing football, organized football.
Speaker D:So that's really helped a lot.
Speaker D:So, you know, and then obviously our consistency with our coaching staff, you know, having the same coordinators and all that stuff, it's all that, you know, there's just a lot of things that contribute to that and.
Speaker D:But you know, it starts with the kids and their commitment level.
Speaker D:And we're real proud of the, of the work ethic and in the commitment of our kids and what they do.
Speaker D:And, you know, we're starting to get the results.
Speaker A:And you're getting to the point in the program right now where those results are now expected and there's a lot more that the team can do.
Speaker A:You have more goals you have to work toward, but you have that expectation.
Speaker A:You've done it before and the players know what's expected of them.
Speaker D:Yeah, and.
Speaker D:Yeah, that's.
Speaker D:Yeah, I think that's exactly right.
Speaker D:And you know, I think, I think we went from, you know, consistently being in the bottom three to being in the top four real fast, and now we're kind of hovering in there at 3 and 4, which now the whole league is real good and being in that top, top fours really accomplishment.
Speaker D:But, you know, we've been hung up now for four years, either at a three seed or a four seed going into playoffs, and we've been hosting our playoff game and we've won all four of those, but we've been bounced in the second round every year.
Speaker D:And so I think it's just the doing the things that we need to do to try to get over that hump.
Speaker D:But maybe we can get to a point our program where we play well enough in the regular season to get a bye in the first round of playoffs and get a second round home game.
Speaker D:And, you know, I think those increase your odds of advancing, you know, even deeper in the playoffs.
Speaker D:And obviously that's what everybody's after and that's a big deal for us to get over that hump.
Speaker A:What's the team been working on over the summer and during this early part of fall camp in order to make that next step?
Speaker D:Yeah, I think, I think one of the beauties of this team this year is just the fact that we have so many guys that have played quite a bit of football.
Speaker D:We have a lot of returning starters in key positions such as our quarterback and receiving core defensive line linebackers.
Speaker D:We got return starters in the back end on our defense.
Speaker D:We had some holes to fill in all those places, but we got our Experience this year has been really good.
Speaker D:So I really, I think when we think focus about what we've been working on, I think our really.
Speaker D:Our focus has been on just being really good at the little things, you know, trying to eliminate those, those crucial areas at crucial times in the game that get us in a, get us in a bind or where we lose a possession or we give the opponent an extra possession either off of turnovers or a special teams blunder or penalties or whatever those little things might be.
Speaker D:Just being a little bit more focused a little bit.
Speaker D:And how we play, that's been, that's been the whole focus for the, for our winter and summer workouts.
Speaker A:Now looking at the team, obviously when people talk about the Rogers Mounties, Jeff Regan, the quarterback, Braxton Lindsey coming back as well, those two players pretty much at the top of mine.
Speaker A:Who are some of the other Mounties that you're going to be counting on this season?
Speaker D:Well, I mean, you know, I think defensively we got.
Speaker D:Our defensive line guys are really good.
Speaker D:I mean, Hunter Dickey had an unbelievable season last year.
Speaker D:I think he just kind of was a little bit under the radar, but man, he had an unbelievable season.
Speaker D:We got him coming back at defensive end.
Speaker D:We got a nose guard, Hearst and Cruz.
Speaker D:It's really, really good.
Speaker D:Very disruptive.
Speaker D:You know, those guys on defense got Troy Chandler back at inside linebacker and, and so he'll be, you know, he'll be his second year starting in that, since that position.
Speaker D:So you know those guys back.
Speaker D:And then we, we have a Zeke, Zeke Parsons back at safety.
Speaker D:So, you know, as far as levels go, we have all those guys coming back.
Speaker D:We have some new faces at corner this year, but I think, you know, we got some experience at all those spots and the guys that are, that are in there have played a little bit, so it's not like we're throwing guys out there haven't played.
Speaker D:And then coming back on offense, you know, we got, we got the Ikenberry back at wide receiver.
Speaker D:A guy named Parker Nix has come on this spring.
Speaker D:Jason Boak was our second leading receiver.
Speaker D:He's back.
Speaker D:Cooper Daniel does a great job.
Speaker D:Xander Burke at running back and he also plays some H back force too.
Speaker D:I mean, you're going to see all those guys.
Speaker D:We got a, we got a good transfer and Titus Kramer from Harbor who's had a really, really good, good off season this summer for us.
Speaker D:So you're going to see a lot of guys.
Speaker D:I think the supporting cast for those two guys you mentioned is really good.
Speaker A:And Looking ahead on the schedule, of course, in the 7A west, you talked about it right at the top.
Speaker A:It's tough to really get a lot of improvement in position just because everybody has improved.
Speaker A:And you look down the conference this year and you know, everyone has a lot of great players coming back or they have some new players coming in and even the teams at the bottom of the conference have really improved.
Speaker A:So it's going to be a tough week, tough game every night.
Speaker D:Oh, yeah.
Speaker D:I think that's the way everybody would like it to be, to be honest with you.
Speaker D:I mean, the more parity, the more competitive we are, the better our league is.
Speaker D:I think those of us that, that are fortunate enough to come out on top and be in the playoffs and potentially make a run, I think it helps you, you know, in those late season runs when you, when you, when you're playing the caliber of teams that you're going to play out of the Central with, with Bryant and Conway and North Little Rock and Cabot and the boy, I mean, they're all those, those guys are very talented down there and it's a physicality deal also.
Speaker D:And so, you know, having, having our league just continue to get better like it has over the last three or four years is, is hopefully something that's going to make us stronger down the stretch.
Speaker A:Everyone's looking at Bentonville as the target at the top, but as you mentioned, Fayetteville has been up there as well and among some of the other teams.
Speaker A:Who are some of those other teams that really, you see make trying to make that jump?
Speaker D:Well, I mean, obviously you mentioned the two teams in Fables, in Bentonville that are there every year.
Speaker D:They're always at the top.
Speaker D:You know, Springdale had an outstanding year last year and, and they were really good and I expect them to be just as good, if not better than they were last year coming back this year.
Speaker D:And then, you know, harbor had a, had a coaching change, but I think, you know, we did see some of these guys at team camp this summer and they look really good, like much improved.
Speaker D:They look, they look big and physical and, and of course, Bentonville west is kind of in the same boat we are.
Speaker D:We were in the three and the four last year and I think, you know, they got a bunch of guys coming back also and they could be very, very dangerous as well.
Speaker D:So I just think, I just, like we talked about earlier, I just think week in and week out, you, you got to be, you gotta be ready to play and you can't, can't do those things that put you in a situation where you beat yourself.
Speaker D:You gotta play really clean and mistake free football as you can.
Speaker D:And I think that's really gonna be the key.
Speaker A:We talked about how the conference has improved old school year, non conference schedule gonna be a little bit different than last year.
Speaker A:Same opponents, but all three have seen a lot of improvement.
Speaker A:Muskogee in that second you're a week one opponent or week two in your schedule is going to be a tough road trip as well.
Speaker D:Yeah, that will be, that will be a tough game.
Speaker D:They, they did have a coaching change, but man, I tell you what, I don't hear anything but great things about the, about the guy they hired and the assistance that he has over there.
Speaker D:And they were just loaded with talent.
Speaker D:So they will be, they will be very, very good.
Speaker D:They have been very good.
Speaker D:I think they won the state championship year four, last played for it last year again in Oklahoma.
Speaker D:Six A small school and gosh, you talk about talented football team.
Speaker D:Those guys would be good.
Speaker D:That would be a good, that'd be a good game for us.
Speaker D:And of course, you know, you back up to zero week.
Speaker D:We got North Little Rock coming to here.
Speaker D:They also have a coaching change and you know, they brought Brad Bolden back who was there years ago, and now he's back there again and he had a lot of success when he was there the first time and I expect him to have a lot of success as their head coach this time as well.
Speaker D:So, you know, they'll be much improved also.
Speaker D:And then of course you got Kevin Kelly coaching Sheridan and, and you know, they're just very unorthodox in what they do and, and they can, they can cause some problems.
Speaker D:So, so it'll be interesting non conference.
Speaker D:I think we got three quality opponents that are going to, you know, give us all we want and hopefully we can, you know, play clean and be competitive in those games and get ourselves ready for conference points.
Speaker A:In just a moment, we'll move our focus to the golf and Tennis seasons as the 479Media Group High School Sports Magazine continues.
Speaker A:Welcome back to the 479 Media Group high School Sports Magazine.
Speaker A:The high school golf season started August.
Speaker A:Finished fourth with a number of local teams involved in invitational tournaments.
Speaker A:The Rodgers Lady Mounties would take first place in the five team cabin invitational by 24 strokes over little Rock Christian.
Speaker A:With Conway, Cabot and Bryant also in the field.
Speaker A:The Rogers boys would finish fourth behind Little Rock Christian, Cabot and Little Rock Catholic.
Speaker A:Shiloh Christian's boys would finish fifth at Mountain Home, while the Heritage girls and harbor boys would win duel matches to open their week.
Speaker A:Also, the high school tennis season starts August 11th.
Speaker A:A number of area teams are coming off successful years, with the Hoss Hall Mastiffs in Fayetteville coming off back to back state boys team championships, while the Thayden School in Bentonville earned a title on the girls side in Class 3A Rodgers.
Speaker A:Bentonville and Fayetteville will battle it out for conference and state team titles with the finals and six A set for the Bulldogs Courts.
Speaker A:Some of the week's opening matches will see Bentonville at Springdale and hosting Bentonville West, Rodgers at Spring, Springdale and Heritage hosting Harrison.
Speaker A:Join us next week as we continue our preview of the high school football season on the High School Sports Magazine, presented by the479Media Group.
Speaker A:I'm Dave Schoen and we thank you for tuning in.
