Spring Football: Bentonville West Wolverines | Varsity Vibe

Spring Football is ramping up for high schools around the state of Arkansas as they get ready to see what their teams will look like for the 2026 season. 

Our first stop takes up to Bentonville West, where head coach Bryan Pratt and the Wolverines have a lot of returning talent back, but they have a key position to fill at quarterback. 

Transcript

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Guys, we've reached the time of the year where it's time to talk more football because who doesn't love talking more high school football? It is spring practice, and there are schools around the state that are even just getting started with their spring football practices or getting ready to start their spring football practices. And so we're gonna visit with some of the coaches around the area about what they're looking for, what they're excited about, and what they've got coming back with their teams for 2026. Our first stop is taking us to Bentonville West. And it has been really fun to get to know head coach Brian Pratt and his um program that he's running over there at Bentonville West. And they've got a lot of excitement building up for this 2026 season. You know, they do lose quarterback Trey Thompson. So one of the biggest question marks is going to be who is going to fill that role. And then there are other little pieces around the offense that they want to see have really good ideas about what they could get from those spots, but they also have a lot of returners coming back. So they feel really good about the experience and the leadership that they have on this team and really what 2026 is going to look like for the Wolverines. And so sit back, relax, and enjoy my conversation with Bentonville West head coach Brian Pratt. Hey, I feel like regardless of what time of the year it is, we're always talking football. Uh, and you've got spring ball rolling around. And when you get ready for the spring, what what are the things specifically this year that that you want to accomplish in the next couple of weeks of spring practice?

SPEAKER_01 3:02

Well, I think this year is probably different than uh several years. Um, you know, two years ago we started so many sophomores and freshmen, and then last year we were coming off a bad, uh not a great season for us. And so we had really something to prove during the off-season. Um but this year coming back, I mean, we've got we've got 17 return starters coming back, and we got we've got a really good group of kids that have really led us through. And so right now as we go into spring ball and it starts Monday for us, is just trying to uh find the the missing pieces. Uh you know, obviously we gotta we gotta replace Trey Thompson, and it's gonna be really hard to do. And so we have some guys step up for into the play for that and the outside receiver uh is another question mark for us. Uh we have a lot of kids that we want to just uh improve the fundamentals that they have. And you know, you go into this and you want it to be competitive and and get after it, but you also don't want to be so physical that you that you end up hurting somebody that that you're gonna actually have to play on the team with. So uh we want to make sure that we're smart in regards to that, but just get our kids to continue to play hard like they did last year. And and uh man, we've had a great off-season, probably the best off-season we've had in 10 years. Uh Ben Witcher is our strength and conditioning guy. And we we've had a phenomenal spring. I think right now we're at 48 kids on our on our team that have Power Cleave 225 or more, which is a is a record for us for about 15 kids. Uh total, it's kind of a uh you know, a mark for us that we want our kids to try to get to, and it's pretty exciting to see all the kids that have you know excelled in that area. And so now it's just got to relate it to the field. So we've talked all off season about how uh every sprint or every rep represents a play, and now you get to go out on the field and and do that. So uh we want to develop some of our young guys, and we got a really good uh young group of kids coming through and uh some very experienced seniors, and so we want to try to mentor those guys uh to be to to continue what these guys have started. So uh I think the biggest question mark we have going in is obviously our quarterback, and not that they can't, you know, can't do it, but you're trying to replace probably one of the best quarterbacks we've ever had here, and uh it's just a phenomenal kid, and they know the bar is pretty high and and they've got to live up to it. So uh that's what we're trying to get out of uh spring practice.

SPEAKER_00 5:33

Well, you say the word replace, which you know that's hard. I was gonna say it is hard to replace a guy like Trey Thompson. Obviously, you just want to have the next guy up. And so, where do you have that conversation with these guys who are competing for that spot? That you're not trying to be the next Trey Thompson. We just need to be you to be who you are and and play the way we know you know how to play.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

Right, and that and that's it, you know, what they bring to the table. And and I'm not gonna lie, we have we have four guys that are uh that are very capable of of leading our offense, and and so that's they all get along get along really well, they all work really hard together and push each other. Uh it's just gonna be the thing where we have to make sure that we uh get reps for all of them, be able to find out which one steps up. And uh, you know, I've kind of been pretty blunt of them as whoever whoever makes the plays and whoever, you know, runs our offense the way it needs to, they're they're gonna be the guy. And uh you know, they've they've got a great attitude and and they're getting better. And every day we go out there and you know, they got a pretty good group of guys around them. We got an offensive line with four of the five coming back and and a good uh a kid that moved back in that went to our junior high that that's probably gonna fall into one of those starting spots. And and so uh, you know, we're just excited where we're at and uh and give our kids an opportunity to try to excel and get better every day. And you know, just looking forward to trying to fine-tune this and fill in the spots that we need people to to uh step up at and uh develop some depth and pretty pretty exciting time for us right now. Um going in with the the most kids we've ever had. We got about 120 on the roster. Uh we've never been, you know, over 110. So it just continues to grow out here and and the number that our school next year I think we're supposed to increase by 200 students, and it just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and and the growth is gonna not stop. I don't I don't see it. So um, you know, it's an exciting time. We've got some renovations that possibly might be going on out here to to get us a little bit more room, and you know, those times are exciting for you.

SPEAKER_00 7:46

You talked about the trajectory of the program over the last couple of years and how you started a lot of young guys a handful of years ago, and then you know, you had the year two years ago, the year last year. But it feels like these guys, and you talk about your 17 returners coming back, um they they've gone through the trenches, you know, like they've kind of seen this program develop and they know the standard and they know they know what it takes now to have success. How huge is that as you're trying to set a tone in a culture and continue it into this upcoming season?

SPEAKER_01 8:17

Well, everybody talks about the culture, and that's a you know, kind of like a slinging word that everybody wants to throw out right now. Um my big thing is the way the locker room is. And uh, you know, when when when kids really love being a part of something and and it means something to them, you go in the locker room, it's clean, it's taken care of. Uh, you know, when somebody does something wrong or or not behind the line like they're supposed to, or they come in late, uh coaches don't have to correct them, the players do. And uh I think that's where we're at right now, man. Our locker room, uh, we don't have any issues in there. They're always, you know, our our our uh janitor, Miss Maria, she comes in there and everybody everybody knows who she is and and knows that she takes care of our locker room. So when they see her, they pass by her and always friendly to her and and you know that's the kind of stuff that I look at when you talk about culture. It's not just the way that you play on the field or or what people see out on Friday night, it's the way that they live every day in the school, um, the way they treat other athletes in other sports. And and we try to continue to talk about that because to me that's what makes a really good team uh is the way you treat people around you and and the rest of that stuff kind of falls into falls into into line as you as you uh go through the program. And um, you know, we're just really excited about the the kids that we have now, man. We have some really good kids. We have we know six kids that have been offered scholarships already, and so we have we have some excitement going on right now, and uh, you know, that's what that's what it's all about. It's about putting kids in a position to be successful and and uh then enjoying the the situation that you're in, and that's kind of where we're at right now.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

You've been with this program since the very beginning. How fun has it been for you just to continue to build every single year, watch it grow and develop into into what you see it becoming and what it can can continue to become and uh just be a part of it year in and year out.

SPEAKER_01 10:16

Yeah, it's it it's it's quite a challenge as uh you look back and we were just talking today about uh you know the first time the kids actually come into the indoor 10 years ago and and uh everything has changed so much that you forget what what all you've done to try to get here. And I think uh as me as a head coach, uh I know I I truly try to look at and try to get better every, you know, never never be try to never be satisfied. And there's always something that you can work on and try to try to improve on. And you know, so we we're never satisfied. Uh we enjoy it. Uh, I had an old coach tell me one time uh the highs are never too high, the lows are never too low. You gotta make sure that you keep pushing and trying to improve every day. And you know, we have a little saying that we say all the time as you never stay the same, you either get better or you get worse every day that you come out here. And that's not just for the players, that's also for us as coaches and and men, uh, to try to mentor these kids. We're either gonna get better or we're gonna get worse. And so when you start looking at it like that and trying to improve uh the quality of the program uh every day, uh and you and you watch it continue to improve, and you know, we're a 10-year-old program that's never missed the playoffs, and you know, a lot of people want to pat us on the back, but I'm wanting to figure out how to get to the finals and you know, to always always never be satisfied and always try to improve. Uh and and there's always things that you can do to to improve that.

SPEAKER_00 11:45

Hey, speaking of just taking a bigger look at just the West, you've got two brand new head coaches, including Anthony Lucas who comes to Fayetteville, and you're adding Shiloh Christian to the mix. I mean, what exactly do you feel like the 6A West is going to bring to the table this up and coming season?

SPEAKER_01 12:01

Man, um 7A 7A West has gotten a little crazier lately. Um the things we have to do with Hooten magazine is rank the the the uh conference and you're and you're sitting there talking about you know you you've got several schools that have always been really good, and you know, somebody's gotta get sixth, somebody's gotta get fifth. And and it's it's crazy the the uh quality of football that that we have going on right now in this in this conference, and you know, we're we're excited about the opportunity. And um you know, Shiloh comes in, you know what you're gonna get with them, but I know what I'm gonna get with with uh Tuckers. And we both are from Oklahoma, or used to coach in Oklahoma, and ironically not a lot of people know this, but when he was at Stillwater and I was in McAllister, we we played a couple of times, and uh so I I I do know the quality of of teams that he's gonna put out there and and you know Coach Lucas kind of speaks for stuff, you know, the type of guy he is and coming into Fayetteville and the type of players that they have. Just continue to try to try to you know get better and and keep up with everybody. And you know, we do a lot of summer stuff together, so it's exciting time to to uh all mesh and try to figure out who's gonna who's gonna end up on top of this. And you know, it's it's it is what it is, it keeps us all busy and working and trying to get better every day. I promise you that.

SPEAKER_00 13:30

Yeah. Triple A Let's keep you on your toes. And I think I said 6A. I'm clearly in baseball, softball season still, but of course the 7A and in football. So thank you for correcting me. Uh but but but when you when you leave Springball at the end of the spring, you want to have some boxes checked, you want to have some answers answered. Um, but what's the biggest thing for these kids to take away heading into the summer, getting ready for fall camp when it's all said and done?

SPEAKER_01 13:55

I I think the big key that we have is is is we gotta be able to stop the run better than we than we've done the last couple of years. And I think the physicality of our team and obviously the weight room is gonna help with that. And then obviously offensively, we've got to be able to run the football. And when you got a guy like DJ Warren back there in an offensive line that's coming back, uh you got to be able to put the ball in his hands and be able to get the yards that you need to move the chains. And uh everybody knows we're gonna be able to throw the ball around, we're gonna be able to score torrents, but are we gonna be able to run the football when we have to and be able to stop the run when we have to? So that's kind of emphasis going into spring for me as a as a head coach. I want to see us be physical, uh, be smart about how physical we are in spring ball, but also be able to be physical and and put ourselves in a situation to be successful uh by just moving the chains. And uh, you know, we call it the chain crew, and and uh we want to make sure that we're moving the chains and again the first down. And so going into spring, obviously it's it's to find our our quarterback and and then to to uh find some outside receivers that that uh can step up and then obviously how physical we are at running the football and stop and run.

SPEAKER_00 15:08

Well, maybe I'll try and sneak out some practices in the next few weeks, coach, and and take a look at you guys.

SPEAKER_01 15:14

Well, I'm sure I'm sure we'll be there Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Fourth.

SPEAKER_00 15:18

If you'll let me if you'll let me sneak in.

SPEAKER_01 15:20

Sneak in, come anytime you want.

SPEAKER_00 15:23

Thank you so much for joining us. Hope you enjoy the conversation. I'm looking forward to having more conversations like this with coaches, as I mentioned, around the area as their teams are either getting ready to start spring practice or just now starting the spring football practices to see exactly what 2026 could look like for us come August. If you missed any of our other conversations, I always encourage you to go back and listen to those on our YouTube page or wherever you get your podcasts. Also, while you're there, subscribe as well. And we know it's still baseball, softball, and soccer season. And we've got great content out there for you on our Instagram and Facebook, TikTok, uh, Twitter, wherever you get your information from us. We've got photographers out there giving you all the action that you need. And so make sure to follow along there as well. And while you're at it, too, sign up for the newsletter at varsityvibearkansal.com. That comes to your inbox twice a week, and you can stay in the know with everything happening in high school athletics around the state. Once again, I am your host, Alyssa Orange. Thank you so much for joining us, and we'll see you next time.

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