Pioneers use close loss to gain confidence

In his fifth season at Gentry after serving as an assistant coach at Nashville, Pioneers coach Paul Ernest saw something after a 17-14 loss he not witnessed in a Gentry locker room.

“Our locker room after that loss was as somber as I’ve see it at any time since I’ve been here,” Ernest said. “Our kids were hurting. And that was a good thing. You never want to say a loss is a good thing, but I think our kids realized after that loss that we are a pretty good football team.”

The Pioneers carried that into last week’s game against Huntsville and rolled to a 38-15 win.

Senior quarterback Brandon Atwood has been a huge key to the Pioneers’ success. Against Huntsville, Atwood accounted for 5 touchdowns. He rushed for 147 yards and a pair of scores and passed for 3 more. He also rushed for 130 yards against Dardanelle and scored 2 touchdowns.

“We knew Brandon was a special kid with his legs, but last year I tried to force him into being a pocket passer, which is not utilizing his skillset,” Ernest said. “I promised him in the offseason we’d let him be the kind of player he knows he can be and he’s been great in the first two games.

Gentry (1-1) is off this week and will close its nonconference schedule against Greenland in two weeks.

At Nashville, Ernest was a coach at one of the most successful 4A programs in the state. Changing the culture at Gentry has been a process, but he has seen gradual change.

“It’s better, but we’re not where we need to be,” Ernest said. “It’s a continuing process, but I’ve seen more and more positives that we are headed in the right direction.”