Rogers Heritage hires pair of head coaches

ROGERS -- Steve Hookfin and Josh Laymon have built successful programs at their previous coaching stops, and now they are looking to do the same at Rogers Heritage.

The Rogers School Board approved the hiring of both Hookfin and Layman at Tuesday's meeting.

Hookfin, 42, will take over a Heritage football program that has won just two games over the last four seasons and hasn't been to the state playoffs since 2014. Laymon, 31, will take the reins for Heritage girls basketball. The Lady War Eagles are 17-64 over the last three seasons and that includes only two conference victories. They have made the state tournament only once in school history.

Both said they are excited about the challenge.

"I have family in the area, which always makes it nice," said Hookfin, an Arkadelphia native. "And an opportunity to build a program, and that's always intriguing. I'm just looking forward to the process and all that entails. It's challenging, and I think we all live for challenges.

"Getting to know the players and the community and trying our best to get better and give them something to be proud of at the end of the day."

Keith Kilgore, athletic director for Rogers Public Schools, said they had more than 100 applicants for each position and brought in three candidates each for interviews.

"These are quality men of good character," Kilgore said. "What they have done and where they have been speaks for itself, and we're confident that they will be a fit for Heritage."

Laymon, whose only head coaching job was his seven-year tenure at Norfork, echoed some of Hookfin's sentiments.

"I think you have to get out of your comfort zone in order to grow," said Laymon, who graduated from Parker's Chapel High School in southwest Arkansas. "I'm excited for the challenge of it more than anything."

Hookfin comes to Northwest Arkansas, after guiding Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tenn., to the Class 4A state championship game this season and the semifinals last season in four seasons there. Laymon has taken Norfork to the Class 1A state semifinals twice and the quarterfinals once in the past three seasons -- compiling a record of 116-9 during that period.

They both turned around programs that were lagging. Haywood went 14-27 over the four seasons prior to when Hookfin took over. The Tomcats went 6-5 in his first season, and they won 10 or more games in each of the last three years.

Layman's proud of the progress he's made in seven seasons at Norfork, winning just 10 games in his first year.

Hookfin played football at Ohio University, where he had a pair of 1,000-yard rushing seasons. Prior to his time at Haywood, he also guided Liberty Tech magnet school in Jackson, Tenn., to a pair of state semifinal appearances.

Laymon's salary will be $70,527, while Hookfin will be paid $87,438.

Hookfin's family includes his wife, Charmaine, and four children -- Brianna (22), Camryn (16), Khori (8) and Kason (8). Laymon and his wife, Amy, have two children -- James (3) and Jude (8 months).

Sports on 04/17/2019

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