Third state title leaves lasting mark on No. 1 Pulaski Academy's Kelley

Pulaski Academy not only won its third consecutive state championship in 2016, it also forced Kevin Kelley to add some ink.

The possibility of a new tattoo for the veteran Bruins coach came after an occurrence that hasn't happened a lot for the Little Rock private school in recent years -- a loss.

The program's second loss since the start of the 2014 season, which came in September 2016, made Bruins players ask their coach for a request.

Pulaski Academy traveled to Salt Lake City for a Sept. 9 game against East High School and lost 37-23. It ended a 28-game winning streak and was quarterback Layne Hatcher's first loss as a starter.

The Bruins' players after the game requested for Kelley to get a tattoo if they were to win the Class 5A state championship in December. Kelley agreed to it.

Sure enough, Pulaski Academy went on to win its third consecutive state title and sixth overall, defeating Wynne 55-16 on Dec. 3 at War Memorial Stadium.

Kelley, who is 165-25-1 since becoming the Bruins' coach in 2003, didn't get a lot of time to savor the feeling of being a state champion once again.

"We won the state championship and they started asking me [about the tattoo]," Kelley said. "In January, they ask me, 'When are you going to get it?' In the spring, they ask me, 'When are you going to get it.' I said, 'Guys, I just told you I'll get it before you go off to college.'

"So I'm sitting around in early July and my wife [Dana] reminded me that I had to get it. She was kind of against it. I thought, 'That's odd. You were so against it when I told you I was going to have to do it. And now you're the one telling me I have to do it.'

"She said, 'You're the most brutally honest person I know. You told them [the players] you were going to do it, so I expect you to do it.' I said, 'Well, it's time.' "

Kelley went to a downtown Little Rock tattoo shop to get his tattoo, which is on his right bicep. The tattoo features Pulaski Academy's blue shield logo with the words "State Champs" underneath it and the program's six state championships in Roman numerals (2003, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016) on the sides, with three on the left and three on the right.

"I'm not a tattoo guy," Kelley said. "But the kids made me feel better about it. They told me, 'Coach, the good thing about a tattoo is, you'll have all those guys on all those teams in all those years with you for the rest of your life.'

"I liked that they meant it as a sentimental way, like it meant something to them."

Pulaski Academy, which is the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's preseason No. 1 team in Class 5A, has an opportunity to win a fourth consecutive state championship as it returns 11 starters -- 7 on offense and 4 defense -- from last year's state championship team.

Hatcher, a senior who is 27-1 in two years as Pulaski Academy's starter, passed for 4,656 yards with 58 touchdowns and 19 interceptions last season.

At wide receiver, seniors Tra Johnson (46 receptions, 928 yards, 14 touchdowns) and Brett Lynch (42 receptions, 760 yards, 10 touchdowns) return. Junior tight end Hudson Henry, the younger brother of San Diego Chargers and former University of Arkansas, Fayetteville tight end Hunter Henry and current Arkansas freshman linebacker Hayden Henry, is expected to be a big target for Hatcher after scoring three touchdowns a year ago as a sophomore.

Senior offensive linemen Luke Jones and Allen Amuimuia enter their third seasons as starters on the Bruins' line. Jones and Amuimuia have orally committed to Arkansas and Air Force, respectively.

Defensively, the Bruins' key starters coming back include senior linebackers Brooks Walton and Wesley Wise and senior defensive end Isiah Woods. Walton was Pulaski Academy's leading tackler last season with 105.

Pulaski Academy is attempting to become the first team since Barton in 1990 to win four consecutive state championships. It's a feat that Kelley and his players aren't shying away from.

"I want them to know what it is. They're going to hear about it from their parents, their friends and the media," Kelley said. "We've actually talked about it. We want them to know it's a monumental thing.

"If it hasn't been done in almost 30 years, it's really hard to do. I want them to know how much extra work it takes to do that."

If Pulaski Academy raises the Class 5A state championship trophy at War Memorial Stadium again in December, will Kelley add to his new artwork?

"Once you get it, you've gone this far, you might as well add some years to it," Kelley said. "I thank God I'm blessed enough to be a part of these with great men and great players. I don't see how I can leave anybody off after this if we're lucky enough to win another one."

Sports on 08/25/2017