PRAIRIE GROVE -- The cat got out of the bag during Saturday's Prairie Grove football awards banquet held at the high school cafeteria.
Danny Abshier suggested that Jed Davis, high school principal, might make a good superintendent while the two briefly shared the podium. The district has been operating with assistant superintendent Pete Joenks functioning as interim superintendent since the resignation of Reba Holmes in November.
"He has your kids in mind. He has guts. He will tell you the truth," Abshier said while addressing parents in attendance. "If he wants to put his two cents into the superintendent's position, I think we need to go in that direction."
Abshier thanked Davis for his support of the football program, then spoke about being viewing a presentation Davis put together about his tenure as head football coach at Marion from 2014-2018. According to Enterprise-Leader archives Davis supervised 17 coaches and 275 students and started and sponsored a Fellowship of Christian Athletes program at Marion.
Abshier said he was impressed with that type of engagement.
Davis said, yes, he used to coach football, and joked that thanks to statistics revealed by the banquet's featured speaker, Lynn Gregson, he would have to keep coaching 58 more years to get the number of wins Abshier has at Prairie Grove.
Davis said that Abshier has came to him and asked for improvements to the football facilities.
After being at Prairie Grove five years and watching the Tiger football program Davis attributed much of the success to Abshier's hands-on leadership.
"I can tell you that great teams and great programs take on the personality of the football head coach," Davis said. "He's no nonsense, tough as nails, no excuses."
Davis said Abshier won't let the out-dated football facilities serve as an excuse, and praised the positive influence Abshier exerts over players participating in the football program.
"What they're going to do in life is a direct reflection of this guy, Coach Abshier," Davis said.
Gregson broke down the historical records, which show 13 winning seasons before Abshier took the helm at Prairie Grove., about one out of every three years. Gregson talked about the nine straight losing seasons before 1993, reflecting that it took a couple of years to turn things around, but since then Abshier has produced 21 winning seasons.
"I want to tell you something about your head football coach. Prior to him becoming head football coach, from 1955-1992, in 38 years of football they won 160 games. Coach Abshier became the head coach in 1993 and has now coached 30 years at Prairie Grove. During his time [they've won] 225 games. That's eight years less and 65 more wins," Gregson said.
Thirteen coaches prior to Abshier averaged a combined four wins per season, a total that's been doubled to an average of 8 wins per season under Abshier.
"The last 12 years Coach Abshier's teams have averaged nine wins a year," Gregson said.
In 2022, their first season as a Class 5A football school, the Tigers went 7-4, claiming the No. 2 playoff seed from the 5A West with a 5-2 league record that included a dramatic 46-40 defeat of Harrison featured on the team's highlight reel.
Corbin Bowlin, Ethan Miller, Matthew Velasco, Ryder Orr and Coner Whetsell garnered All-State recognition with Justin Bryars, Conner Hubbs, Rhett Marrell, James Moss, Camden Patterson and David Stephens voted All-Conference.
Velasco, Miller, Whetsell, Orr and Marrell were named to the KURM Dream Team.
Miller was named team MVP.