Heber Springs has announced Van Paschal as its new head football coach following a school board meeting on Tuesday night. Paschal makes his way to Heber Springs following a controversial exit at Wynne in late 2022.
Paschal, one of the winningest active coaches in Arkansas with 236 career victories including one state title and one state runner up finish, will meet his team on Wednesday.
He spoke with ArkansasVarsity about his new job.
“I spent a few months off, so I’m ready to go,” said Paschal. “We will meet the kids in the morning. Senior high at 7 and the junior high after their workouts will come in. So, I’ll get to meet them and the staff then get ready to move and start putting in a system.”
Paschal said that system will be the flexbone.
“I think the flexbone gives Heber Springs a chance to be successful,” said Paschal. “I told them that in the interview. After talking with these guys I think we will be able to do that. Now, you’ve got to be able to stop somebody. You’ve got to be able to play defense, so that is going to be a huge priority. Of course, we will work the kicking game every day.”
There were other schools that showed interest in Paschal since his departure at Wynne, but ultimately it was Heber Springs that drew his attention.
“I’ll tell you what, really just from the get go meeting with Tim Bullington, the principal that is going to be the new AD, and Scott Jennings, the Superintendent, the basketball coach, and a football coach that will become a principal and after the deal at Wynne with an allegation of a kid pulling a knife and then somehow or another I get pinned for it, it’s a breath of fresh air,” said Paschal. “They said really it’s just unbelievable that a group of people would want to do that to somebody, so that was a big deal. They told me that they wanted to hire me, and I’m a proven winner, and they want me to do it here.”
Paschal said that he will assess the team for several days before making any changes.
“I’m going to access for several days, honestly,” said Paschal. “I’m just going to watch what they’ve been doing, see how they work, meet them and tell them the vision and the plan. After the kids are out I’ll have a working lunch with the coaches and we will be installing with those guys. We will have coaches school for a little while, then hopefully on Monday we will be able to get onto the field and start installing the flexbone on the offensive side. Then we will work on breaking everything down from there with getting to know the coaches and knowing their strengths and putting them in the right place.”
Paschal said that on paper this will be a challenging job.
“On paper this is going to be a challenge. We understand it is a tough job,” said Paschal. “You have to look at that, but you don’t play on paper. What makes a coach to me is a poor football coach can take a good player and make him average, an average player and make him good, a good player and make him great. That’s going to be the deal. We’re going to have to get the players to rise above and they have to get their mind out of the mindset that they can’t.”
“That’s always the hurdle,” Paschal continued. “You have to believe, you have to trust, you have to buy in.”
At the end of the day, Paschal says he is grateful for the opportunity at Heber Springs.
“As a family we are excited. It’s been a deal where God has taught us a lot through the situation and we feel like we are coming out of a storm,” said Paschal. “We are refined, we’re better. As the bible says in James 1:2-4, count it all joy when you go through a trail. It teaches you patience, and patience brings about a complete work. So, we are excited to be in Heber Springs.”
Luke Matheson | ArkansasVarsity.com
Luke Matheson | ArkansasVarsity.com