Foundation key to coaching success
PEA RIDGE—As a young assistant, Tony Travis always dreamed about getting his first head coaching gig.
He just didn’t know it would be in Pea Ridge.
“That’s what I was looking for when I started talking to them about their opening,” Travis said. “I had been the head coach at Ramay (Junior High) for four years and then an assistant at Fayetteville for three years and wanted the leadership responsibilities of the entire program.
When Travis took over the Blackhawks prior to the 2009 season, the program was coming off a 1-9 campaign the year before and hadn’t made the playoffs since 2005.
Even though they only went 2-8 his first year, Travis knew the foundation had been laid for success in the future.
“I remember fondly my first win on the road at Greenland,” Travis said.
The 2010 team regressed back to 1-9, only defeating Greenland again, but the 2011 team won four games, including two in 1-4A league play over Gentry and Berryville.
“We had Shiloh on the ropes that year but had three turnovers and couldn’t score to take the lead in the fourth quarter,” Travis said.
2012 was where the big jump happened, as the Blackhawks, in their final year in old Blackhawk Stadium, won 10 games and lost only once in the league to Prairie Grove, an eventual state semifinalist.
“Our homecoming victory over Ozark that year meant a lot to me as an old Bearcat,” Travis said of being a Booneville alumnus. “That showdown with Prairie Grove was big, we were undefeated and so were they. We extended the life of the stadium with two playoff games, and we mercy ruled Monticello in the first round.”
That offseason, Pea Ridge opened an indoor facility and then opened its new stadium the following season.
After taking it on the chin that year to the tune of a 3-7 mark and only winning a single conference game, the team bounced back in 2014 to an unbeaten league title, falling only to Malvern in the second round following a bye.
Travis’ final team was maybe his most special, as the Blackhawks, despite dropping two league contests, found themselves in the 4A playoffs.
“We got caught looking ahead to Prairie Grove that year (eventual state finalist) and lost to Gravette,” Travis said. “But we got a massive road win at Shiloh and then just made a run, the win over Robinson was just an incredible team effort. That 0-0 game at CAC we ended up winning 3-0 in overtime.”
Nashville ended up ending Pea Ridge’s season in the state semifinals on its way to a state championship, but that didn’t stop them the next year, even though Travis took the Rogers Heritage job and didn’t end up coaching that team.
“It was a worst to first story, those kids had gone 3-7 as freshmen and then make it to the state championship game and had a lot to prove,” Travis said.
Travis pointed to the men who helped mold him as a young coach that prepared to take on the Pea Ridge and Heritage jobs.
“I was around some outstanding coaches and administrators,” Travis said. “Nick Tschepikow and Chuck Brookshire at Ramay, Dick Johnson who was the athletic director at FHS, Doug Loughridge (Alma) was on staff at FHS with me along with Jared McBride (Lakeside), Zak Clark (Springdale), Bill Harrelson (former HC at Gravette), Daryl Patton (Bauxite) and Mike Adams (Farmington). I learned a lot of football and about life from those guys.”
After three seasons at Heritage, Travis stepped aside and is now back in Pea Ridge as an assistant principal at the middle school.
“I’ve just been trying to spend most of my time getting to know teachers and students,” Travis said. “I have known Coach (Stephen) Neal for several years, he coached my cousin at Nathan Hale High School in Tulsa. I am looking forward to watching them play this year. It’s fun to be around him and the other coaches I know from being here before.
In 2020, Pea Ridge will get bumped up to Class 5A.
“It’s crazy that it only took them 12 years to completely go through 4A. The jump in classification will bring some challenges but I think Coach Neal and his staff have put their program in a position to make the transition and will be respected by those teams from day 1 by their effort and character on the field.”