Hood and Arkansas High laying the groundwork to turn the program around
TEXARKANA, AR (KTAL/KMSS) — Taking over a football program is no easy task, but Leroy Hood has a blueprint for change.
To build the program, Hood is focused on getting the community's support. To build the team, he will be working to get the kids to buy into working hard, not just on the field.
Meet the new Arkansas High head coach, Leroy Hood
'First order of business is the discipline,' Hood said. 'Guys gotta be disciplined and be dependable and that kinda falls into the academics, so if we're doing good in the classroom, doing great in the community, all of those things will trickle over to the football field.'
At previous schools, Hood has had a lot of success improving the academic success within the athletic program. At his last school, he helped raise the cumulative GPA from a 2.2 to a 3.1 in just the first semester.
While academic success and everything that comes with that is something that benefits the students and community, people are looking for on-field success as well.
'With these kids they kind of like to see results fast and I feel with my coaching style and the type of staff and coaches that I'm gonna create here at Texarkana, I feel like these kids will buy in pretty fast,' Hood said.
So what does a Hood team look like?
'Gonna be controlled chaos,' Hood said. 'Guys are gonna be disciplined, but we're gonna be physical and aggressive, and it's gonna be within the lines. It's gonna be within the whistle. We're not gonna be a team that has self-inflicted wounds doing things, making mental errors.'
Change will not happen overnight at Arkansas High, but Hood is expecting the success to come sooner than one may think. There is a lot he wants to accomplish as head coach, stacking bit by bit, but something on that list is restoring the Border War.
Leroy Hood announced as Arkansas High football coach
The rivalry football game between Texas High and Arkansas High is one of the most storied rivalries in the area, dating back to 1912. The rivalry was put on hold in 2020 due to COVID-19, but Texas High was becoming the overly-dominant team in the series, losing some of its lure.
'Once we get this thing together, I would love to get that rivalry restored and hopefully never go away from it because I do feel we can be competitive,' Hood said. 'We will be respected in this area again and we will welcome any challenger for sure.'
There is a lot to do before the Hogs get back to that point, but Hood is certain they will be there again.
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