Arkansas High Looks to Take a Big Step Forward This Season
The Arkansas High Razorbacks hope to have a big football season.
Part of doing that will be getting off to a faster start than the 2015 squad did. Head Coach Todd Ledford says last year's team definitely got off to a slow start, but things did improve as they got later into the season. Last year's team recovered from that start and finished 4th in their conference and hosted a first round playoff game.
Coach Ledford said he hopes the momentum from their finish will carry over into the 2016 campaign. The Razorbacks return only 2 on offense and 3 on defense from last year, but have some talented kids moving up, and they boast 145 players who turned out to play in grades 9-12.
Coach Ledford says the off season and summer workouts went well with lots of participation and they got in some good work during spring ball and summer camps.
Ledford said he is looking for leadership on the field from the likes of Peyton Watson, Robert James, and Tyler Braswell.
Arkansas High looks to run pretty much the same offensive and defensive schemes as last year. Coach Ledford just wants to see refinement in both areas as well as special teams and to get better in all aspects.
This year, Arkansas High will host Pleasant Grove in the first ever varsity football meeting between the two Texarkana schools.
"Anytime city teams can play it is a good thing for Texarkana and all four schools," Coach Ledford says.
Coach Ledford looks for Greenwood to be the favorite in the conference based on the success they have had the last 6-8 years in a row. After Greenwood, he see a very competitive conference up and down the list.
As a result, the coach has plans.
"Our goals are to win the opener, win 6A West conference, win the first round playoff game and win a State Championship. We have to keep things in that order."
The Razorbacks are no strangers to winning it all. The Hogs won the State Championship three years in a row back in the 1970s and more recently won back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007, narrowly losing to El Dorado in the 2010 championship.
Coach Ledford says he is looking forward to coaching this team. He believes they have a good group of seniors and a good mix of youth who should improve weekly.
One thing about the Arkansas High Razorbacks is they are a proud group -- proud of their team's long and successful history and proud of their reputation as a hard-hitting, sound defensive team that never backs down from a challenge.
Good luck to this year's Razorbacks.