Elkins hires Hutson as new football coach

Bryan Hutson said he did some thorough research on Elkins before he applied for the school's head football coaching vacancy.

He liked what he saw, and so did Elkins, who hired the former Paris coach Wednesday night. Hutson replaces Chad Harbison, who resigned to become the offensive coordinator at Fayetteville.

"Obviously, that area is a big draw," Hutson said. "But another big reason I wanted that job is because my parents live in Springdale, and I think it's going to be cool being close to them. My father loves to go to games, and he's my biggest fan. He loves going to my games.

"I really like the progressive attitude the school has with athletics, as well as academics. The community values the importance of academics and athletics and puts a high value on them. I've only applied for two jobs in the past 12 years, and to get this one is truly a blessing."

Hutson, a Paris native, was the schools' head coach last season after being serving 2 1/2 years as the high school principal, and the Eagles finished 4-7 overall and 3-5 in 3A-4 Conference play. His first coaching job was at Paris, then he was the head coach at Decatur, Little Rock McClellan and North Little Rock before he returned to his hometown.

Elkins athletic director Aaron Clark said Hutson was chosen out of 38 applicants, and a majority of those interviewed for the job were either current head coaches or coordinators at larger schools. Clark said he remembers when Hutson had his first head coaching job at Decatur in the mid-1990 and the success he had there.

"We had some very qualified applicants for the job," Clark said. "It was a long process, and we felt like we gave those who were qualified for the job a chance to interview for it.

"I think Bryan will be a great fit for the program. Decatur was a good playoff team when he was there and we played in the same conference, and he's been successful everywhere he's been."

Preps Basketball on 05/24/2018

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