Thompson Leads Athletic Director Candidates

OFFICIAL RECOMMENDATION EXPECTED THIS WEEK

FARMINGTON — Farmington boys basketball coach Beau Thompson is expected to become the school’s next athletic director with a special School Board meeting ca l led for Tuesday, June 16. That meeting was held at 5: 30 p. m. past the press deadline, but indications pointed toward Thompson’s anticipated hiring as athletic director creating an opening for head boys basketball coach at Farmington.

On June 9, the Arkansas Activities Association listed an anticipated opening on its bulletin board accompanied by information on how to apply for head boys basketball coach at Farmington. The listing was submitted by Thompson.

A similar notice appeared on the district website, farmcards.org. The website Fearless Friday also reported Thompson’s anticipated hiring.

Reached via text Thursday, incoming Farmington Superintendent Jon Paul Laffoon, who takes office July 1, emphasized the hiring remains “anticipated” until the next school board meeting.

Laffoon was hired in February after Superintendent Bryan Law resigned to take a job as director of the Northwest Arkansas Education Cooperative. Law’s resignation is effective June 30.

“We have some of the top facilities in Arkansas and are excited to have a new athletic director upcoming, but the board of education approves all personnel hires,” Laffoon texted. “We want to continue the momentum beginning July 1.”

Thompson was one of three longtime Farmington head coaches to apply for athletic director. Jay Harper, head baseball coach, dean of students, and assistant football coach; and Randy Osnes, who coaches softball and golf, also submitted in-house applications.

The district received 17 applications from outside the district, including five from Texas, two from Maryland, and one each from Iowa, Colorado, North Dakota and Minnesota. The district received four applications from Northwest Arkansas, one from Vilonia and one from Fort Smith.

A hiring committee comprised of Laffoon, Law, Assistant Superintendent Stephanie Pinkerton, Assistant Superintendent Terri Strope, high school Principal Jon Purifoy and junior high Principal Joe McClung, interviewed the three in-house candidates the first week of June.

Thompson has been boys basketball coach for 15 years at Farmington, which hosted its first state basketball tournament March 4-7 at Cardinal Arena. He was heavily involved in helping manage the Class 4A tournament along with girls head coach Brad Johnson and Purifoy, who has served as

interim athletic director following the retirement of Brad Blew. Blew spent 34 years as teacher, coach and athletic director at Farmington, serving as athletic director from 2008 through Jan. 31.

Farmington athletic facilities expanded in recent years as part of the new high school campus along State Highway 170.

Th ree pha se s o f construction have been completed since January 2015, beginning with the 1,800 seat Cardinal Arena and the Performing Arts

Center both housed in one building, a new high school in 2017; and the $16 million Farmington Sports Complex which opened last August, featuring a 3,700 seat Cardinal Stadium for football and soccer, along with a new fieldhouse containing coaches’ offices, weight room, indoor turf training 60- yard field, laundry facilities, training room, dance studio, as well as locker rooms for varsity football, track and field, cheer and dance. Soccer locker rooms have their own building while the track was built outside the stadium.

Thompson