Months after the White Hall High School football team played for a state championship, locals finally walked through the newest Doghouse -- the school's multipurpose facility at the south end zone -- during an open house Sunday afternoon.
Parts of the facility were still under construction during the fall semester, but the Bulldog coaches and players settled into their new locker rooms and offices while posting an 11-win season and building their deepest playoff run in 34 years under Bobby Bolding. Since then, the White Hall School District finally put the finishing touches on the $6.5 million complex, built among other projects resulting from a bond measure voters passed in January 2020.
The upgrades caught the attention of Ryan Mallett, who was hired in February to succeed Bolding and greeted his new fans inside the 50-yard indoor practice area.
"Right now, we've been in the weight room. We've been running, getting in shape," said Mallett, the former University of Arkansas and NFL quarterback who turns 34 on June 5. "We start spring practice, I believe, the second week of May. We're trying to let all the spring sports finish up and get all of our guys here. We're doing offense most of the time so [defensive coordinator Hunter Vincent] can get in here and get his defense in. The guys have been working hard. They like to work. I'm proud of them so far."
Vincent will join the Bulldogs at the end of this school year. He currently coaches softball at Magnet Cove, near Malvern.
"I heard about the facilities and I know they just played for a state championship and I thought it was a heck of an opportunity to get here and coach at that level," Vincent said. Magnet Cove will move up a classification to 3A in football for the upcoming season, but Vincent is taking a leap to 5A, where the Bulldogs will face Pine Bluff as a conference rival for the first time and maintain a rivalry with Watson Chapel.
Visitors saw in amazement the facility's amenities such as the weight room, team film room and training room, which many compared to those in NCAA Division I programs. Female athletes now have a place to dress for outdoor sports, and their coaches also have a spacious office.
"This isn't just about athletics," district Superintendent Doug Dorris said. "When bad weather comes, our band can come in and practice in the morning. The cheerleaders can practice on the rubber mats. There are a lot of kids getting to use this facility."
Visitors including White Hall School Board President Dr. Raymond Jones (center) and district Superintendent Doug Dorris talk with football Coach Ryan Mallett inside the practice area of the multipurpose facility Sunday, April 10, 2022. (Pine Bluff Commercial/I.C. Murrell)