Moe Henry Excited About Van Buren's Future | Varsity Vibe

The Van Buren Pointers hit numerous milestones and brought record during the 2025 season, but they've still got a lot they want to accomplish as a football program. 

Head Coach Moe Henry joins Alyssa Orange to look ahead to the 2026 season, and his excitement for what he believes the Pointers can achieve. 

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 3:18

Um I am. I'm I'm super excited. You know, uh I was just talking to our players today that uh I I think I need to find a different word than excited because I'm starting to wear it out. But um, you know, it's just it's just it's good for the coast, because it's getting near, and everyone gets excited for the start of the season. And you know, we got our different phases of just kind of breaking down screens and actually getting uh to to seasoning. Uh coming back off dead period is just a another phase that we get to to know that when do eyes hear that we're getting close and that the heat's starting to to heat up and everything, so it must we mean we get close to the fire. So exciting is definitely a word that that you know comes to my I think God see.

SPEAKER_01 3:58

Before we break down what you have new coming back, or what this 2026 team looks like, going back to 2025 and the momentum that you built and the wind streak you guys were able to put together, just continuing to layer on successful foundations on top of each other. What do you take away from 2025?

SPEAKER_00 4:14

Um, I think just some confidence to know that you know the the expectations that we're putting on ourselves are uh realistic goals for us. And you know, we we try to be real with the players and try to be real with ourselves and uh you know just looking at our schedule. We know we had a tough conference and mass and tough teams. And so um just going through once again and just kind of friggin up that schedule and and trying to come out of each uh phase of it with success. And uh, you know, things did it lined up for us and the way that the schedule was was was designed and played some teams that gave us a chance to to go out and compete and get some confidence. And uh unfortunately the end of the season was you know also scheduled uh very heavy with with very competitive teams and uh weren't able to get those bouncing. So uh it was a little bit uh uh you know caveat on both sides of it to where we did get a pretty good little win streak, but uh once again we ended the season with a losing streak as well because we lost the size four that we that we played and uh got a goal of being able to host a playoff game, but you know, uh uh ran into a really good Marion team and uh ended up not coming on the winning side of that. So uh but but a lot to build up of because uh I think it it you know register to ourselves that uh we're being real with ourselves and we're setting realistic goals and uh that that is also inspiration for the high goals and stuff that we'd set up for ourselves this year.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

Yeah, and we're the guys this that anticipation to get back into the weight room because even though the season's over, football's never really over, right? Like you hit the offseason, you hit the weight room, you know, that that excitement to to hit the weight room and and get right back going to get things going to work.

SPEAKER_00 5:51

Right, you know, and and just trying to be uh the guys that are here full-time at football, you know, you're trying to do things with them for to not be a lull. Um uh but you you can't just really get you get too uh deep into it because you you you're missing a lot of players as well. You know, with high school football, you know, you got a lot of kids that are playing other sports. Uh we get kids that we uh we we we don't see on at the end of December, I mean end of November, December, up uh we won't see them again until you we get to make until they get out of the baseball season. So uh that there's also a level of it that you gotta try to balance because you are missing some some guys that depend on those sports, then they're athletic enough and and good athletes to be able to help you. So uh even at this level for us and six eighths fixed school, a lot of students may not have that that issue with players, but uh you know, we do we we share a lot of guys with our kids in that aspect. So uh trying to balance, not making it a low, but still make it exciting is is that could party up the process for the Portive Eyes.

SPEAKER_01 6:55

So with that being said, to get to spring, what were some things you wanted to see and get out of spring? And do you feel like you accomplished that?

SPEAKER_00 7:01

Um I think so. And a lot of it was just to get get out there and just kind of see what we had, because uh we were also coming off of one of the one of the the highest rated for senior classes from us that actually played and actually participated. So we we lost a lot of those guys, uh a lot of key positions. And so uh being able to go out there and try to figure out and see who was gonna be able to step up to where we were gonna be able to feel uh some of those resistance. Uh we played, we played a lot of kids uh uh last year. So not only was it one of our biggest seasons to graduate singers that were started, uh we probably still retain more from that transition um this this season as well. So being able to get the spring and um have some of the players to kind of grow in their own identity and and really kind of like claim a spot that they was competing for before or that they um you know was behind, you know, in in another aspect. So um just being able to see those guys and and their own elements and being able to see those guys grow and and kind of shape up and compete and and start to face to show what our teams are look after 2026.

SPEAKER_01 8:10

So tell me, what does the team look like? Who are they right now?

SPEAKER_00 8:13

Uh right now, I think um, you know, they they're they're a group of competitors and and it's just like they're they're teenage kids, but but for us, uh the biggest thing is uh trying to make it consistent because they they want to compete so bad that uh they just want to just give us an opponent now. But uh understanding that the operation of getting there. Um but but I think that that's dark machine butt form as well. So uh it's it's a group that uh uh they know that they they have an identity that they want to to instill. They they they know and feel the momentum that uh Van Beer football has been um uh taking. And so uh they they feel like you know it's the right time, right opportunity for them to to really display, you know, their confidence that they have in themselves. And so uh being able to uh uh do that and and and also kind of tame the fact that I know that we got talented kids, but at the same time, you haven't done anything yet. So, you know, let's wait a little bit before you get to puff your test and doing those things. So uh just create that that uh inner competitiveness with them and that mod with their teammates and and you know what are you doing to make other people better talk about things. So uh excited. I'm excited to see these guys out and and want them to compete. Um I know it's gonna be something up to down just because of uh people are gonna be playing six A high school football for the first time. Yeah. So we'll you know look at that. Uh I think our preseason schedule really helps us with that. It prepares us for that. So um just ready to see this guy developing process.

SPEAKER_01 9:47

When you were putting the feces together, is there an area on the football field where you felt real good about and an area on the football field where you're like, okay, we're gonna have to figure out who exactly is gonna help us there?

SPEAKER_00 9:57

Um, yes, a little bit on both sides. The um going in the spring, um we felt real confident with our offensive line. But we all thought we was bringing back uh some some very experienced guys on our offensive line. Uh bring back three guys, one guy's uh that started for us in slight grade. And so felt like we had some continuity there. We had some some better young guys that was coming up, uh, good-sized kids, and we was gonna either be have some depth there. Um spring came around, and you know, we had one kid that was in track, so we didn't get him at Tolate. Another kid that was uh banged up a little bit, so you know he was out. So now that comfort of that offensive line became okay, now we've got to put people in there to be able to establish. But um, what was good about it is that we knew that the kid that was banged up was gonna get now healthy. We knew we were gonna get him for another kid from tracking. So uh that was a good experience. It was good to be able to see that on it to where we were expecting that to be. You know, and it'll kind of help us, and especially with uh running back. I got a uh really good running back to that that started for us last year as a sawmillure. Yeah. Um so we we felt comfortable in that, but we had to experiment with that a little bit because we were we were down with bodies and and doing things like that. Um you know, in the uh defensively in the secondary. I mean, and in the defensive line. But we graduated, you know, probably for our top four defensive linemen. So um trying to replace those guys is something that we still are kind of trying to see and still trying to see where that identity um is gonna be for us uh to fill those spots. But anything on the back end of secondary, uh we got a lot of experience coming back from our safety. So trying to lean on them a little bit to be able to help that caveat. But um, it's still a lot of moving pieces, still, still early uh in July. So we're we're got a couple more caps to see how that cut off. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:52

Seven on seven, when you look at the summertime, really about building chemistry and camaraderie as a team. But is that an opportunity for you to maybe just take a step back and just see your guys interact with each other?

SPEAKER_00 12:04

Uh yes, most definitely, because you do get uh in 0707, you do get a lot of downtime. You get, you know, you got you know not playing a pool game to doing things like that. So you normally have a game that you skip. So there is just downtime for them to just be, you know, and so um that that's a little bit more monitoring than RCI because you know, if you don't give them too much time, they'll do anything. But um I I think that is a little bit new than time for them to bond a little bit more than the paddock caps would do because usually when you're there, you're not really that having a lot of downtime, you're just kind of going. And so um, I think though those 707s do benefit in for there. We didn't go with many, we only went to one. Um, because I do think we need to try to get some more work to pad caps in for our competition dates.

SPEAKER_01 12:48

Yeah. You know, you look at the 6A West, and it's no surprise you lose Greenwood and you lose Shiloh. It's a completely different conference because of all that realignment. Does that change anything at all? Or is it just focused on what Van Buren can do when they hit the football field?

SPEAKER_00 13:04

It does. I think it changes, it changes, you know, just the I think it helped the the the the clouds kind of part a little bit and have some ray of sunshine it comes to because ultimately we are trying to work on us. We get it's what we're gonna do. We're only focused on us, let's get better every day of what we do and all the the things that we say. But um, you know, when when I say that we're being realistic about it and we're we're saying that uh uh you know this this is a group that we can have some success with. They they for the majority of it it's kind of like, hey, well maybe we can go compete. Maybe we can do that because those things and but we also have a a handful of them too that um uh we've got we've got a lot of group guys in this group that that they've had success against Redwoods, they've had success against Shallow. You know, uh uh this junior group is a is a group that they won at conference and they when they were ninth grades at junior high with with Shallow and uh Greenwood in it. So uh with them, they do have some consciousness. A lot of respect for those programs, but they they do have that confidence to say that the way that we go in and the way that we're trending um that belief that Kyonets was gonna be there uh one way or the other. And we knew that if if they for our ultimate goals and achievements to to reach themselves, that uh if if Shallow Rainwood was in our conference, then that they were gonna have to be part of the path that we took to go and and and do it. So obviously they were gonna have to be the ones that were gonna be the the the kings of the mountain to be able to to do that. And so that does. It opens it up a lot, I think, and uh for just us as a conference on the west side of it. Um, but it does affect, you know, whether you're a mountain home, whether you're a south side, whether you're Lake Hamilton, you you you it you start to turn a little bit more, you start to see some blood in the water because those are two teams that everybody had issues with. And so um, you know, and even from the state, from a state uh uh aspect of it. Uh, you know, if you're benton, I think, you know, it's gonna be hats off to them to be able to get denied to say, okay, that they may be the the new the new team that everybody's gonna focus on to measure themselves up against because uh they've been the they've been the the the head of the head of the east over there for several years and uh so rightfully so. They they they're gonna poke their heads out of the cloud a little bit more because of those that that mood as well, and you know, and then you get a Silver Deals that's playing with conflict that that out of chat that end up beaten uh so uh I think you're gonna get that there everyone's gonna perk up a little bit whenever you know when you get two perennial teams like that that that uh for whatever reason end up going separate ways and they're they're not only in your conference, but they're not in your uh classification anymore. So uh it's it's yeah exciting. I'm not I'm not I'm not sad.

SPEAKER_01 15:52

Right. Well that's the I think right and I think then it regardless of how you look at it, it's opportunity, right? And they say when opportunity knocks, answer the door. And so how much are you looking forward to just seeing what these guys could do with the opportunity in front of them? Right.

SPEAKER_00 16:07

Yep. Yeah, it is. It's it's um it's exciting to see. And and and you know, as you see, whenever you came in, uh I I tell our guys with facilities-wise, I mean, that there's get to the point to where I feel like they're setting to none whenever we're coming to do that. And so uh to be able to have pride in that and knowing that our community and our school you know they back us in that way. Um, this is a great place to be. And uh it just makes places just makes a little bit even better whenever you're fan of football.

SPEAKER_01 16:34

Yeah, I love it. You said pride because that's where I wanted to go next. There's so much pride in Van Buren Pointer football. What does that pride mean to you and for these guys who wear that jersey on Friday nights?

SPEAKER_00 16:44

You know, it's uh it's a it's a it's uh avenue of kind of cementing yourself of being able to be, you know, can I put myself in a football world that's that's Van Buren for us, uh in a different place to say, you know, have some pride for it. Stick your stick your chest out a little bit because um, you know, for the amount of time that we've been here, there's not not been a whole lot of success, but it's not been a whole lot of consistency, whether it's from the coaching, you know, carousel that all the way down to the players moving and doing those things. And so uh being able to see the change in our community, in our parents, and and because now when they're starting to see that we have someone here that wants to be here and they're not just here for the next step, uh they did start, they do start to support you more because it's almost kind of like well, you gotta we're not gonna buy in if we if we know that you're not you know committed to to being here. And so being able to see that kids see that, you know. So so when when we've got guys that were in middle school now coming up and they're seeing the same coaches, uh, their commitment, I think, is a little bit more bought in. And so I I think we see and everybody's being able to buy in on what we feel like the the uptake that very beer and football has, um and and just ready to be ready to be in it on whenever we get to it. Because we've we've had a lot of success. We've had a lot of first in 10 years and first in 20 years, and last year, first in 30 years. But you look at them, but we were five and six. We still we still don't even have a winning record. And but yet it's there's motivation and there's excitement in where we're trending. And so uh just wanting to be prepared to be in that moment whenever we do have success, whenever we do uh surpass um a lot of things that that you know been a long time that they have here at Lambeer. And so uh that word excitement comes uh back up of being able to anticipate those things. So uh really, really, really anxious and and and and excited about being able to grab that opportunity.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

Well, excite excitement's allowed around here. It is still a game and we still love it a lot. Best of luck in 2026, coach. Thanks for the time. Thank you. I appreciate it. Thanks so much for joining us on this episode of Varsity Vibe. And if you've missed any of the conversations that we've had throughout the summer, just go over to our YouTube page or wherever you get your podcast and listen to some of these great conversations that I've had with coaches and athletes. We love to share them with you. And so I hope you give those a listen. And while you're at it, make sure to like our YouTube and our podcast pages as well as our social media pages. That is Instagram, X, TikTok, and Facebook. You can subscribe over there and follow all of our great content throughout the summer with football picking up, for example. We've been to a ton of seven-on-seven uh camps and team camps, bringing you that coverage there for you on our social media pages. And also want to remind you to subscribe to our newsletter that is varsityvibearkansal.com. You just put in your email and you'll get it in your inbox twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays, keeping you in the know with everything happening in high school athletics around the state. Once again, thank you so much for joining us here on VarsityVi. I'm your host, Alyssa Orange, and we'll see you next time.

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