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Elmore leaves Glen Rose to become head coach at Arkadelphia |
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Friday, 01 February 2008 |
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By Bruce Guthrie Courier Sports The Glen Rose Beavers are in the market for a new football coach. After leading the Beavers to a 3A state title, Billy Elmore took the head coaching job at Arkadelphia High School.
The Glen Rose Beavers are in the market for a new football coach. After leading the Beavers to a 3A state title, Billy Elmore took the head coaching job at Arkadelphia High School.
“They offered me a good situation,” Elmore said, “and I talked to my wife about it, prayed about it.”
The Beavers finished the regular season at 9-1 and beat Shiloh Christian for the 3A State Championship. Arkadelphia finished last season with a 2-8 record and will move down from the 5A to class 4A for the 2008-09 classification cycle.
Elmore has been head coach since 2002. He served as the head football coach as well as the athletic director. He took a team that had a 4-36 record from the previous four years and led it to the state finals only five years later.
He was chosen as an assistant coach for the 2007 All-Star AHSCA football game. He was named the 2007 State Farm (Hooten's) 3A Football Coach of the Year.
Before coming to Glen Rose, he was the defensive coordinator at Greenwood High School from May 1998 until December 2001. From August 1995 to May 1997, he was the head junior high football coach at Barton High School and assisted at the high school level.
Elmore will start working in the district March 3.
"We want to get him on board as soon as possible," Arkadelphia superintendent Stan Miller said. "We are excited to have him. He has a proven record. He has a new vision for the Arkadelphia football program."
Elmore said the first thing that attracted him to Arkadelphia was the history of the program. "I want to bring back the tradition that Arkadelphia had in the past," Elmore said. "It was an opportunity that my family and I thought would be good. I feel like I can come in and make a difference."
Elmore said he has a winning vision for the Badgers next season. "We want to win games and develop quality young men," he said. "I haven't talked to many players or coaches yet, but that will work itself out." Elmore said he hoped to meet with players and coaches soon.
When Elmore came to Glen Rose, he said he had to start from scratch in a lot of respects. "Arkadelphia is a lot closer to the goal than Glen Rose was," he said. "It takes a mental toughness. First, I want to instill a work ethic and consistency, to be dedicated to the program. The kids have got to be tough.
"I am looking forward to getting started and going from there," he said. "Getting personnel in the right positions, meeting with the coaches and players, recruiting the halls, actually I started that today."
Glen Rose may not be without a head coach for very long. Sources say that the job was offered Tuesday to defensive coordinator Mark Keener.
Additional information was provided by the Daily Siftings Herald
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