New coach Farr eager to build on Buchan's work

David Farr said it was an easy decision to take over the position of head football coach at Maumelle when the job was offered to him last winter.

Farr, 30, had just completed his only season as head football coach at Heber Springs when longtime Maumelle Coach Mike Buchan announced his retirement from coaching.

Heber Springs finished 8-4 under Farr last season. Maumelle, in its last season under Buchan, was 10-1-1 and won the 5A-West Conference championship for its first in any conference since 2002.

When the job opened for Farr, he said his choice was "a no-brainer."

"I've always said and thought to myself that if this job ever came open, it would be something that I would want," Farr said. "I know it's a great community. You have an exceptional school, and you have great kids in Maumelle to work with. It's the best of both worlds. It's a good situation for my family, but it's also a very, very good position professionally speaking."

Farr said he was aware that challenges come with any job, including his at Maumelle. For starters, he must find a quarterback.

J.B. Minix, who led Maumelle in passing and rushing as a senior starter last season, has graduated. Farr said candidates to replace him include junior Cameron Porros, sophomore Connor McCullough, and Dai-Kwon Armond, a junior transfer from Little Rock Mills.

"They're still battling it out right now, and we're still trying to figure out who it's going to be," Farr said.

There is much less doubt who will begin the season as Maumelle's feature running back. Senior Jacob Acklin rushed for 1,005 yards and eight touchdowns last season. He averaged 5.6 yards a carry.

"We're definitely going to have to depend on Jacob," Farr said. "He's very good with the football. He makes good decisions. He's smart, and he's a veteran, so we're definitely going to have to keep it in his hands."

Junior Javion Cunningkin should serve as Acklin's primary reserve. He carried 33 times for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns last season.

Farr said depth at receiver is one of Maumelle's strengths. Four players return who caught passes from Minix last season, led by senior receiver Gabe Jones, who caught 16 for 129 yards and 1 touchdown.

Defense led the way last season, yielding an average of 13.9 points a game, the lowest in Class 5A. However, just four starters return from Buchan's last group, led by senior lineman Gage Robbins, who also started on the offensive line.

"[Robbins will] be a big-time anchor for us on the defensive side of the ball, but we'll have to use him on offense as well," Farr said. "He's a very strong kid, very quick, very athletic, and he's a good team player as well."

Other starters from last season are senior lineman Tyler Robinson, junior lineman Charles McRae, and junior linebacker Dean Cox.

"For the defensive unit as a whole, putting everything together, their playing with togetherness and having that unit mentality, those are the things that we have to improve on," Farr said.

Farr said that carryover from the teams Buchan coached should help this season.

"Coach Buchan did a great job in building the program here," Farr said. "Any time you've a long-time veteran like that, who's been part of the program for years, it's just the way it works. There are going to be a lot of things he left behind from the work that he did that are going to be a positive thing."

Sports on 08/17/2015