Cabot brothers, coaches have quiet rivalry
CABOT — Whenever members of the Tarrant family get together for dinner, brothers L.J. and Tyler write out opponents’ football plays on their napkins — helping each other prepare for the week.
“We are both extremely competitive and always have been, while growing up,” Tyler Tarrant said. “We work together, bounce around game-plan ideas and support each other throughout the year.
“But with us being so competitive, there isn’t much bragging going on for at least a week or two after [the North and South] game.”
L.J. and Tyler Tarrant are both assistant football coaches and teachers at Cabot Junior High School North and Cabot Junior High School South, respectively. They are the sons of Renee Tarrant, who retired from the school district in May after 24 years. The brothers recently coached against each other in the annual Battle of the Belt football game.
“It makes us a nervous wreck,” Renee said. “It’s hard to get excited during the game because we know one is going to be sad when it’s over.
“It doesn’t affect our family dynamic because neither brags about their win to the other — maybe to their players, though. They always congratulate the winner and tell each other they love them.
“They’re each other’s biggest supporter.”
The game took place on Nov. 5 with the Cabot North ninth-grade team defeating Cabot South 15-0.
Tyler, who has been with the Cabot School District for three years, is the assistant junior high coach and defensive coordinator. He is also an assistant track coach at South.
“It’s fun to coach against each other,” Tyler said. “However, I think others enjoy it more than we do. A lot of people hype up the sibling rivalry, but we prefer the focus to be on the players rather than us during the North/South week.”
“Coaching against my brother definitely adds a little more to the game, for sure,” said L.J. Tarrant, who is in his seventh year working for the Cabot School District. “A little extra work goes into the game plan that week.
“I think what I enjoy most about us being at separate schools is we can game-plan together and pick each other’s brains when it comes to playing similar opponents. I think us coaching together definitely brings us closer.”
Because of their age difference, the brothers never played against each while other growing up. Renee said it was hard to watch her sons’ teams play each other for the first time. She said she and her husband, Larry, spent the first half of the game on the home side and
the other half on the visitor’s side, silently cheering their sons on.
“I had a shirt made that says ‘House Divided, Hearts United,’ that I wear on the game days that they play each other,” she said.
Renee taught first grade for 28 of her 32 years in education. She said she loved the administration, the teachers she worked with and how everyone collaborated with teachers in other schools in the district.
“I always had supportive parents that made my job easier,” Renee said. “I love how Cabot has a smalltown feel, even though it has grown tremendously since we moved here in 1994.”
Renee said both of her parents were educators, as well as one of her grandmothers. She said that when she was growing up and playing school with her friends, she always wanted to be the teacher.
“I feel like that was what God called me to do,” she said. “I’m so proud of L.J. and Tyler being teachers and coaches. I know they’re making a difference in the lives of their students and players.
“It makes my heart happy when parents come up to us at games and tell us how much their child loves mine.”
Tyler, who spent a year coaching at Greene County Tech and two years at Lonoke, graduated from Cabot High School in 2011. L.J. graduated from Cabot in 2008. He said his mom being a teacher definitely played a part in him choosing his career path.
“I’m so glad they came back to teach and coach at Cabot, where they’re working with some of the same people who made an impact on them growing up,” Renee said. “It also makes it easier to be able to watch their football games, since we all live in the same area.”
“My mom was a big impact on me getting into education,” Tyler said. “It was always cool for me to see former students coming up to her saying ‘Hi’ or giving her a hug, event if it had been 10 years after the fact.
“She always watched her students play sports and enjoyed watching them be successful throughout their high school career. I have coached and taught a handful of her former students. That is always a neat connection to make.”
L.J. said it means a lot to him to have been able to come back home and start a teaching and coaching career at Cabot. He said Cabot is the best district in Arkansas.
“I take a lot of pride in my job,” L.J. said. “Not everyone had the opportunity to walk the same halls and play on the same field as our students do today. I, however, had that opportunity, and it means the world to me. It was always a dream of mine to come back to Cabot to coach.”
“It is awesome to be able to coach back at my alma mater,” Tyler said. “Honestly, it was always my plan to work to get back to Cabot. I have always wanted to coach and teach, and getting back to Cabot was always the goal. This town has done so much for me and my family, and being able to give back has been great.
“I love this town, and I love this school, so helping bring a state championship back to my hometown would mean everything.”
Tyler said he has a passion for sports, and he loves everything about competition and the weekly preparation leading up to a game. He said he comes from a family full of teachers for multiple generations.
“Cabot has always been a sports town,” Tyler said. “I have been blessed to experience it as a fan growing up, as a player and now as a coach.”