The 479 High School Sports Magazine shines a spotlight on the upcoming high school football season, featuring insights from several new coaches in Northwest Arkansas. Coach Tony Travis returns to Pea Ridge, filled with enthusiasm for the Blackhawks as they embark on their journey in Class 5A, sharing reflections on his past and the supportive culture he’s reinvigorating. Over at Har-Ber, Coach Aaron Dannenauer discusses his transition from Bentonville and his mission to foster team camaraderie and a love for the game, aiming to restore the Wildcats to their former glory. Meanwhile, Haas Hall Fayetteville boys tennis coach Greg Kessman celebrates the team’s back-to-back state championships and the strong academic and athletic culture at Haas Hall. The episode also highlights impressive early season results in high school golf, particularly noting the standout performances from Rogers’ boys and the Lady Mounties, setting an exciting tone for the season ahead.

Takeaways:

• Tony Travis returns to Pea Ridge as head coach, bringing a wealth of experience and optimism for the Blackhawks' prospects in Class 5A this season.
• Aaron Dannenauer aims to revitalize the Har-Ber Wildcats program by emphasizing camaraderie and fundamentals, drawing on his extensive coaching background.
• Greg Kessman celebrates the Haas Hall Fayetteville boys tennis team's back-to-back state championships, highlighting the strong academic and athletic culture at Haas Hall.
• Early season results in high school golf show standout performances from Rogers' boys and the Lady Mounties, setting the tone for a competitive season ahead.
• The podcast provides insights into the challenges and expectations facing coaches in the 5A and 7A west conferences, emphasizing the competitive nature of high school football in the region.
• Overall, the episode highlights the dedication of coaches and student-athletes as they prepare for a promising high school sports season.

Welcome to the 479 high school sports Magazine where we spotlight the team's coaches and athletes who represent the best in their communities.

I'm Dave Schoen.

And coming up on this episode, we'll continue our preview of the high school football season as we visit with some of the newer coaches.

Then we visit with Aaron Dannenauer, who will make his coaching debut at harbor after 17 years as an assistant at Bentonville.

We'll also visit with hostile Fayetteville boys tennis coach Greg Kessman, whose team is coming off back to back state championships heading into this season.

All of that's next on the 479 High School Sports magazine.

Welcome back to the 479 High School Sports Magazine.

While he moved on to Heritage, he would return to Pea Ridge where he became an administrator at the junior high school and concentrated on being a father.

Now Coach Travis is leading the Blackhawks again and is looking forward to the team's sixth year in Class 5A.

Well, you know, I think one of the biggest things, and I've had a lot of people ask me that question over the last few months and you know, I played football for 11 years, I coached for 20.

You know, it's hard to just shake off 31 years that being such a part of your life.

I was extremely happy doing what I was doing.

And when my I don't know if you know everything about me, but my son was in the band at Fayetteville and I was gonna miss all of that, like, you know, being involved on Friday night stuff.

So when I got out at Heritage and came back as an assistant principal, it opened up the avenue to be in all of that and get to be dad 100% of the time.

And probably one of the best moves I've ever made when it comes to everything we did revolved around him and what he was doing instead of me and football at that time.

So he graduated high school, Dave, and now he is part of the Razorback Marching Band.

I get to go watch that on Saturdays and that freed my Friday nights up again.

So like I said, I enjoyed what I was doing and the people I worked with in administration.

But I just couldn't shake that feeling that I wanted to be back in football and around the coaches and the coaches in the office and the players and the locker room and the field and just thankful and grateful that it worked out at Pea Ridge because if I was going to pick where it would be, that would be.

That would be my pick.

Well, and not only that, but just being away from coaching for the, for that time when you were being a dad, I'm sure that gave that sort of recharged your batteries a little bit.

Yeah, there's no doubt.

I mean I joke with people.

I wasn't coaching but following him around with the Fayetteville and I watched Fayetteville and all their games for about three years.

So I was still getting my football fix on Friday nights, just doing it somewhere besides Blackhawk Stadium.

But it's a great feeling to be back out there again with the guys and I'm enjoying it a lot.

What's the transition been like getting back.

To.

Coaching at Peerage, Having been a principal of the being a principal, you've probably seen a lot of these kids earlier on, but what is it like coaching them now?

Yeah, no doubt.

Knew most of the players that have come through, you know, when I was in the junior high building as the assistant principal, so knew most of the boys that have come through and you know, the way they have responded to me, getting back into football and the assistant coaches too has made that transition, I think a lot easier.

I got to give a lot of credit to the assistant coaches.

Max Hoteling, Derek Kohler, Dallas Coleman, Preston Cash 8 Sutton and Matt Easterling and Josh Reynolds.

Those guys.

A lot of times in the gap between a coach getting out and a coach getting in, you can have some drop offs and things.

But I think those guys did a great job during that time of, of setting some expectations in off season and they recruited the hallways a little bit, had some players back out.

So I got to give a lot of credit to those guys when it comes to when I walked in they had already established a work ethic in off season.

So a lot of good things were happening already now.

Good things happening.

And you mentioned the players coming up and that you knew some of those players when you were in junior high.

When you look at them now and going in this fall, who are some of the Blackhawks you're going to be counting on the lead.

I think main ones to mention will be the guys that have a little experience coming back from last year and on offense I think it'll start with Tristan German at tailback.

Played a lot last year on offense and defense honestly but established himself mid year as a running back last year and take easy, set the single single game rushing record last year on on a Friday night.

So he's got experience, great character, strong work ethic.

He runs for a lot of yards on our practice field.

We're hoping that'll translate to some big Friday nights for him but he'll be a senior.

Junior Hudson White at quarterback, hard working, does a great job leading the offense.

He came up today.

I tell you what kind of young man he is.

Went to practice this morning at 6am he shows back up during our junior high practice to watch them a little bit today.

Just talk film.

He went home and watched a little film from practice today so he really studies the game.

It's going to pay off for him up front.

We got two returning starters in Cody Carl and Carson Payton on the offensive line.

Both those guys are going to be juniors this year along with Hudson.

He'll be a junior too but that gives us a little continuity on the line.

We're breaking in some new faces up there but both those guys been through the wars last year and then Tucker Wood also played some quality snaps for him on offense at wide receiver last year.

So five guys coming back that have got some experience on the offensive side of the ball defensively.

I mentioned Tristan German already.

He's that linebacker and he will.

We got to find a way to get him some rest here and there but you'll see him on both sides of the ball again this year.

Kane Cray is a senior defensive lineman, probably one of our strongest players.

Set the school record with a 345 pound bench press back in the spring.

So he's on the defensive line along with James Fullert.

James got to play a little bit on that defensive line rotation last year.

He'll move over and play a little on the offensive side too in the secondary.

Julian Andrews is a sophomore that came up last year and Julian played a little bit late in the year as a ninth grader in corner.

So Julian got a little experience last year.

He was kind of threw him in the fire last year as a freshman but he's back with a little bit of experience playing corner as well.

Now as you look into the season, obviously it's different.

You were in 4A when you last left coaching at Pea Ridge.

Now you're in a 5A.

You got Farmington as one of your opponents but everyone else pretty much going to be a challenge While every game is going to be a challenge, Farmington's at the top.

But where do you think about this 5A west conference?

Yeah, there's no doubt.

So we went through that growing process of becoming a 4A school.

And you know, it starts out trying to compete in your conference and then trying to compete on a statewide level.

And you know, we got there in the 4A.

We were only in 4A 12 years, which that blows me away.

How fast we went through 4A.

That tells you how much that area is growing right now.

We were in 4A for 12 years and now we're in 5A and going through those same growing pains of trying to grow into that 5A school.

And that's one of the things that we've talked about a lot with the team is this is going to be our, I believe, our sixth year as a 5A school.

So we're not that 4A school that got bumped up anymore.

We're a 5A school.

We're not going back to down to 4A.

So it's time to start walking and talking like a 5A scheme.

Who are some obviously Farmington defending champions in the 5A and going to be a lot of difficult challenges in the 5A.

Where do you see Peerage sitting?

You know, right now there's no doubt Farmington State runner up Moralton had an outstanding team last year.

Greenbrier had an outstanding team last year.

And you got traditional football towns in Harrison and Alma.

And so it's a tough conference.

We won't go anywhere that's not a great football town.

And I hope people understand that.

That's what we want Peter Rich to be known as too.

It's a great football town.

And more than anything else right now we're talking about non conference schedule.

Most importantly week one.

We're worried about winning that game and then hopefully we get a little confidence.

That'll be big for us, Irving.

We can get some confidence in what we do and let that start snowballing in the right direction.

It'll be huge for us from a mental standpoint.

Well, that first game we're talking about is Gravett and the Lions also building as well in their program.

And it's going to be a tough game against the Lions.

Oh, it will be.

The homeowner at Gravett, I think they went 9 and 2 last year.

Coach Bohan has done a great job over there.

They lost last year I believe it was just to Elkins in the regular season.

Absolutely no shame there.

Elkins had an outstanding football team and then lost playoff games.

So they went 9 and 1 and got a victory over us last year at Blackhawk Stadium 26 to 20.

So you know it's a bit.

It's a tough opener against the team that you know when you talk to people from Gravett, they expect to compete for a conference championship this year with Elkins in that league.

I think they will compete for it.

So it'll be a great test.

Open the season with and the rest.

Of your non conference schedule.

Obviously coaches and players can't worry about that but I know the fans always look forward to it.

Oh yeah, oh yeah.

We.

We got grab it then we'll be our home opener will be against Gentry and then we'll play Siloam Springs.

All three of those guys, I know the coach or have friends on the staff.

I'm good friends with Rick Davies at Gentry, good friends with Doug Lockridge at Siloam and I know the type of guys they are and the type of work they put in at their school.

So all three of those games will be tough.

Coming up, we'll continue our football preview with Harbor Wildcats coach Aaron Dannenauer on this edition of the 479 High School Sports magazine.

We're back on the 479 High School Sports Magazine.

A new season brings new coaches some the of our schools and one of the brightest spotlights shines on harbor where Aaron Dannenhauer takes over a Wildcats program that's attempting to return to the glory days under Chris Wood.

Dannenour spent the last 17 years as an assistant at Bentonville and saw that program rise to the pinnacle in our region, but now returns to the place where his career started.

Oh I think that's 11.

11 years or something like that.

So that's where I've been and now I'm here fired up.

Well certainly fired up.

And you mentioned Coach Wood and coach Lonnie, Coach Grant through three coaches really who've been very outstanding coaches and really built some great programs.

What have you learned from those coaches that you're hoping to have translate to your time at Harbor?

There's no doubt that I've been really fortunate to be around some really good coaches and be mentored by some of the best.

And so, you know, I think one of the biggest things, you know, that I try to do and that we're trying to do here is just, I think the relationship piece of.

And Coach Lonnie was so good about, you know, capturing.

He talked about capturing the hearts of kids.

And that's really one of the biggest things here that we're trying to do is, you know, get kids to have fun and play the game that they love playing again.

And they're playing for the right reasons, playing for the guy next to them and building that camaraderie.

And I think when kids know, I mean, just like when I played, if I knew that coach had my back, you know, that he was in it with us, it made me play even better.

More hard or better.

However you want to say that sometimes my grammar's not the best.

And.

But the.

But the bottom line is, is when I, when I went out there and I put my, you know, put it on the line, I did it because I love the guy next to me.

And.

And I know my coach loved me.

And that was, to me, that's the biggest thing that I think kids are.

Have bought into and that we're.

We're getting back here.

You know, the history of harbor football.

I mean, in 07, they were the runners up, and 09, they won it.

And, you know, Springdale, this community here, I mean, this is a place where football is important.

And these are good.

I mean, just really good, tough kids.

And so I feel like just getting that back is the biggest thing.

And.

And that's kind of what I learned through my years under Chris Wood and Coach Lonnie and Coach Grant, what we did at Bentonville.

And so just, it's kind of where.

We'Re starting and starting over this summer.

What's the team been working on to try to get ready and into fall camp?

I think it kind of goes off of that.

We've really just been focusing on how we do things.

You know, scheme is important, you know, but the bottom line is, is how you do it, you know, and to me, the fundamentals of the game is the most important thing.

So we've really just dialed into how we do it, you know, playing for the guy next to us, loving our brothers and becoming a family.

And to me, the rest of the pieces hopefully will continue to fall in place.

When fans look at harbor the first time, when you get toward August and September, what are they going from this Wildcats team as far as offense and defense, how it's going to operate?

Well, hopefully offensively they see a group that, you know, plays for each other first of all, hopefully they just see a overall team, they just see a new energy.

You know, when we take the field, I hope you just see a team of guys that are, you know, high fiving each other, having fun playing the game.

You know, offensively specifically you're going to see a, you know, one back pro style offense.

We'll, we could do a little bit of anything in everything, anywhere from 11 personnel to 12 personnel to whatever fits us.

Hopefully we're executing well.

Like I said to me it's all about how we do things and you know, and defensively I think our biggest goal that we've been is just know how to line up and know how to fly to the football.

And I think that's something that, you know, when you look at the history of harbor football, when they were successful, their, their defense was, was mean and they were physical and they flew to the football and tackled and when you played harbor, you knew you had played harbor and that's, that's the kind of stuff that we've got to bring back and, and just flying to the football with great energy.

And harbor with the feeders of Central and Southwest, those programs been traditionally the strongest programs in Springdale as far as what their 9th grade programs are able to do.

And I imagine that that pipeline continues as far as the talent from both those schools.

Oh, there's no doubt our freshman class coming from Central and Southwest, there's a lot of, lot of great talent, a lot of tough, strong kids and excited to see what it looks like when they come together.

I think here in Springdale we've got it worked out.

Now we're like our, you know, varsity coaches are going to start even like starting tomorrow where it works out in the period wise where we actually get to go and be around those kids more and help and get a little more vertical alignment going and so I think we're on the right track with all that.

Now getting to the team itself.

Who are some of the players you're going to be counting on to lead this year?

Well, you know, let's talk offensively.

I think we, we have a quarterback who played Bryce Owens who played a little bit last year, returning who I think is a, a dual threat kind of kid who's got a lot of ability.

I look forward to him.

And at running back we have a couple of guys, you know, they didn't really play last year.

We have a young sophomore, Aaron Wilson and Reed McAllister who's coming back that can do some really good things, you know, receiver.

We return Austin Sandoval as a wide receiver, but.

And we also return a sophomore that played last year, Trace and Wright, who's done some really good things in camp.

He's a, a good looking body, big frame, catches the ball well.

You know, I expect big things out of those guys.

You know, we have some other guys that are coming in.

Zach Miller and Uno Branch.

Well, Holden Branch I should say, but, or, but everyone calls him Uno, but he's, he's a talented kid that came out of basketball.

We have another kid that came out from baseball, Greer Graham, who's going to be in the slot force that does a really good job, you know, think those guys are gonna be good.

And we return a tight end, Jack Gilder, who's a great leader for us as well.

And he's very physical blocker, but he's also a threat in the passing game and I hope we use him well.

I think we will.

So offensively that's kind of who our big threats are.

We have a young offensive line that I think is only going to get better as we go throughout the season, so.

And then like defensively, I think our strength is actually in our secondary right now.

We return, I think three out of the four positions, almost four really are two safeties, Canaan Costa and Grayson Daspit.

I think they're going to be really good back there for us.

And our two corners, Scion Wilson and Tony Berry are both returners at corner, you know, so I expect them to do well and not have very many coverage busts and do their job and make plays for us in the back end.

At linebacker, our leader probably on defense is Jake Adams.

He's a returning inside linebacker.

Had a good year last year as a junior.

Him and Lucas Cahill, I think in, you know, inside linebacker position are going to be really strong for us.

An outside linebacker between like Sylar Moore, Will White and Jacob Elliott.

Some of those guys were going to be moving around and getting our best fit.

We're, I'm excited about our linebacking core.

I think they all run well and they, and they love to tackle and that's good D line.

You know, we have Sean Holder who's a, you know, you a UCA commit.

He's a 6 foot 4 dude who is a specimen and when he decides to be a good football player, he can be a really good one.

One of our best Leaders on defense too is Ken and Teff at the D line.

I expect some good things out of him and Andy Barbosa.

And so we, we got some guys over there and I'm excited to see what, what comes of it, you know.

Well, it's certainly excited to see and I know the fans are going to be excited to see one major issue that all the coach is going to be facing in the 7A West.

Is that conference now tough?

It is.

Everybody is either very good or has improved and that includes Harbor.

And where do you feel the Wildcats are going to fit when everything's all said and done?

You know, I don't know.

I know when my heart where I want us to fit and I know where we can be.

But I mean it is a tough conference, you know, I mean you talk about you gotta, you gotta go through Bentonville and you have Fayetteville who's going to be really good.

I think Rogers is going to be a really good football team this year in our conference.

Then you got West US Springdale, you know who I, I don't know.

And you got north side who's sneaking up in there.

So I mean they have a new staff down there and I, you know, I think they're doing good things.

So like you said, I think our conference, it showed last year and this year is kind of coming back to where it was a little bit.

And so it ought to be a fun year.

I'm ready to see our guys compete.

Well, you got the three, the four weeks of three games non conference going into it and talk about that non conference schedule and how that'll help prepare you for what you're going to face in conference.

It definitely will.

You know, we go over and do our benefit game against Tulsa Union as well.

And then we.

Which will help prepare us because then we return right around and Broken Arrow comes to our house.

And so, you know, from what I hear, they have some talented dudes over there and they're a good football team.

So that'll prepare us for just about everybody.

I mean, that's the truth.

And then Farmington, I mean they had such a good year last year.

They have a good quarterback.

So we're going to have to do some really good things to beat those guys.

And then you.

And here comes Greenwood and you know, we know what Greenwood's been doing the last few years.

So we have quite the challenge.

But the good news is, like you said, it will really prepare us for when we come and then Bentonville comes to town, week one of Conference play.

So again, I just want to see our guys compete their tails off and I think the rest will kind of take care of itself.

And I know you, both, you and Coach Grant probably might have that game circled on your calendar, although you're probably not letting the players players know about it as of yet.

But I know fans are going to be really looking forward to seeing that game.

You against one of your old mentors.

Yeah.

Yeah, probably.

So it's, it'll be, it'll be, it'll be different to be on the other sideline.

But you know, like I said, Coach Grant's a really good friend of mine and he's done a lot for me.

And so, you know, obviously that program meant a lot to me for so many years.

So.

But bottom line is we're going to be playing, you know, that Friday night and I again, I just, I just want our kids over here to battle, you know, and we'll go from there.

Among other coaches starting their tenures on the sidelines are Sheldon McKenzie at Westfork and Brock May at Greenland.

In just a moment, we'll move our focus to the golf and tennis seasons as the 479 High School Sports magazine continues.

Welcome back to the 479 High School Sports Magazine.

Yes, we've had a really good run here.

Two seasons of championships at the state level.

We've also had a singles player, Cole Kessman who's won back to back state singles champions and we've had a doubles team, Max Wyler and Oliver Wise who have had great success at the state level to winning one state championship and being a finalist the other year.

So great success amongst the team and looking forward to this season.

And how did you, how the team get so successful the last couple of years?

Is it just the players just continuing to build the program or how has that been, how's that been able to get you those state titles?

Yeah, well, there's, there's many reasons why first, you know, we have a great group of student athletes at Haas and you know, Haas is mainly an academic institution as a lot of people know and you know, not well known for sports or athletics in this area.

But you know, certainly this group of students, you know, they thrive on excellent and achieving and they taking that to the tennis court.

So really happy to lead this group of boys tennis players.

They've, they've been a great group to be around.

I have five returning starters this year as seniors and they're six in the lineup at 3A.

So, you know, looking forward to getting that core group together.

And we also have other student athletes joining our team this year too.

So, you know, always a great, great group of students.

We also have a great support system at Haas Hall.

So, you know, our parents, you know, they, they volunteer a lot of their time.

Tennis, you know, tends to be, you know, a sport where you need some volunteers to help with transporting students to some of the matches.

We don't have a lot of, you know, school transportation that can offer that.

So we play some schools that are pretty far away.

So, you know, having the parents volunteer, you know, bringing snacks to, to the tournaments and, and to the matches has been a great help.

So, you know, certainly appreciate that.

And the staff at Haas is also very, very supportive as well.

So you know, like I said, academic first institution.

But you know, certainly appreciate the lessons and the things athletics can bring to the students to round them out.

Talk about some of the players who you're counting on coming back that are going to be leading the team.

Yeah, so I mentioned Cole Kessman.

He's, he's been, you know, three year, now four year starter.

You know, he was a finalist his freshman year at the state level and then won back to back state championships.

You know, it's going to be tough though.

There's some great players in our conference.

There's a couple players here locally, one at Hostall Bentonville, one at Providence, who are going to give Cole a run for his money.

Those two teams in general are going to give us a run for our money just to, just to get out of conference to make it to state level.

So certainly we're looking forward to that competition.

And as I mentioned before, Max Wilert, Oliver Weiss, two great doubles players, they always practice together.

They're a great doubles team.

A lot of fun to watch.

They have fun on the court together.

So looking forward to getting that team back out there this season.

You spoke about Providence Academy and Household Bentonville, two of your challenging teams.

Who are some of the other teams you have to worry worry about as you get toward that state title?

Yeah, no, well, I think the hardest thing is just getting out of a conference.

So we have Providence, as I mentioned before, Dayton and Hostel Benville, who were just added to our conference last year and really increase the competition.

And that's great, that's great just to see us get that early competition as you prepare for the state level.

We also have Bergman, Elkins and Valley Springs who, you know, give us a run for our money too.

And they put some really good athletes on the court.

So all those schools are well coached.

I really enjoyed meeting the coaches at these matches.

They all have great student athletes too.

And it's a lot of good sportsmanship on the court between these teams.

Now who do you start your.

Who do you start the season against?

Well, this Wednesday we have an exhibition match against Springdale High School.

So six day school, you know, we're looking just to get back on the court to see, see what we have and you know, you know, basically get the team back together.

We just started practicing last week, so we're gearing up for the season.

It's a short season and you know, we have to be ready to play come conference tournament time, beginning of October, and then qualify for the state tournament, which is the second week of October.

So that's really our goal and challenge right now.

The next six weeks, six to seven weeks, really focused on developing and peaking at that conference and state level.

And as you mentioned before, with the challenge of hospital being an academic institution and trying to balance all that with the athletics has been very important.

And you know, talk about the academic achievements of this team, some of the players that you have on the team.

Oh, well, that's, that's the most impressive part about this team.

We've had players that in the past and I've been coaching for the last five seasons, I go to Ivy league institutions, go to, you know, top 10, top 15 sports schools, you know, full scholarships at the University of Arkansas.

So it's really impressive when you are around these student athletes, they're obviously great to be around on tennis court, but when you start talking about their academic achievements and you really start to realize how smart they are and that that also translates to the tennis court too.

Having conversations about tennis strategy, how to play against certain opponents, how to set yourself up from a double strategy standpoint to be aggressive and to win points, win games and win matches.

I think that's, that's really translates from, you know, their intelligence they demonstrate on the academic side onto the court.

Meanwhile, on the golf course, the Rodgers.

Boys would enjoy a solid day at the Red Dog Invitational in Springdale Aug.

11, beating Bentonville harbor in Fayetteville, who.

Downed Rogers at the Mounting Invitational the week before.

Noah Reagan and Pinnacle Country Club junior.

Champion Styles Hunter led the way with matching scores of 69 at the par 72 layout, the lady Mounties would dominate the Lady Wildcat Invitational with five of the event's top six scorers, placing them clear of Bentonville, with Fayetteville, Heritage and Harbor rounding out the top five.

Join us next week as we continue our preview of the high school football season and dive into more into fall Sports on the 479 High School Sports Magazine, presented by the 479 Media Group.

I'm Dave Schoen and we thank you for tuning in.