Arkansas High ready for upcoming football season
When the Texarkana, Ark., School Board of Directors elected to hire Barry Norton, they not only filled a football head coaching and athletic director vacancy, but also enlisted a visionary for the Razorback athletic program.
“It's been a interesting transition. Coming from Texas to Arkansas, there's a big difference in the rules and those sorts of things. It's been a whirlwind and really fast. When you take over a program that hasn't had much success, you have to go in and identify issues. Once you identify the issues, you have to tackle them head on,” Arkansas High head football coach Barry Norton said.
Norton inherits a 3-8 Arkansas High squad that lost a heart-breaker to West Memphis on the road in the first round of the playoffs.
“What I hope that I get over to them is the attitude of confidence and that if you put forth the effort, you can achieve anything. If we'll stick to the plan, work really hard and believe in what we do, then we should have a chance,” Norton said.
“It can't be just athletics, but it has to be with everything.
This also applies to our athletes in the classroom. If other students see the athletes are doing a great job in the classroom, then that will rub off throughout the school.”
Not only will the sidelines seem unfamiliar to the Hog faithful but Razorback Stadium is also undergoing renovations, which will be completed before the start of the season.
“We plan to have the stadium complete by August 20. The stadium will be ready. If they have to work around the clock, we will do what we have to do to make sure it's ready for the start of the season. The stadium was built in the early 1970s and it was just time for an upgrade. It's going to be really nice for our community and something for Texarkana, Arkansas to be proud of,” Norton said.
Arkansas High returns a solid junior class with some senior leaders returning as well, along with All-Area Newcomer of the Year DeJordan Mask leading the way.
“I don't care about problems, I'm focused on solutions. I'm not interested in how we can't, I'm interested in how we do. When a program hasn't had much success, it's easy to be negative. I've asked that not to happen again. There are things that have been wrong, but it is my job to fix it,” Norton said.
“I worked for Johnny Toombs in 1987 at Pleasant Grove. My one year with him, I learned so much. Johnny taught me how to be a professional and how to also build a program. He was great with everybody and always ran a first-class program. I take a lot of lessons I learned from him and I apply them to my life every day.”
Arkansas High opens the season on Sept. 1, traveling to cross-town rival Pleasant Grove. Although the second game of the season is highly anticipated, Norton sees the bigger picture for not only this season but for the Razorback football program for the foreseeable future.
“I don't want that game to be the game of the year, but you're kidding yourself if you don't think that game is important. I will sacrifice that game every year, to win conference championships and state championships. It's not the end all game for us. My goals here are the same as they were when I was at West Orange Stark. We get to play two Texarkana teams this year. The first one is just as important as the second. Then, the real important game comes in two weeks once we square off with Greenwood,” Norton said.
“I don't want the small mindset that the crosstown game is the most important game of the season.”
With coaching changes come schematic offensive and defensive changes, even verbiage how athletes and coaches communicate the plays. Arkansas High has yet to name offensive and defensive starters.