Van Buren football coach Greg Werner has a vision. So do his players and assistant coaches.
The second-year Pointers coach believes what the Pointers really need is a "significant" victory.
Q: What was your approach on changing the culture?
A: It's a process. Everybody wishes it would happen immediately, but it's not going to happen immediately. It's a lot of little things. You can't get caught up in the big picture; you have to do the little things. It's how you carry yourself, the way the locker room looks, the effort on playing harder with a little more intensity.
Q: I take it the kids are buying in?
A: Probably the biggest thing that we've found, and it's improved a million times over, is being a Van Buren Pointer. We want them to have pride in wearing the green and white and being a Van Buren Pointer, and we've seen a huge upswing in our kids.
Q: Good coaches aside, a good football system works best when everyone is on the same page.
A: That's huge. It's a seventh through 12th sort of deal. Everybody's got to come together and we have to buy in. You tell them, 'You're not going to agree with everything, but you've got to buy in.' We have a great group of coaches who have bought in, and the ability to get a few more coaches; being able to hire somebody and move guys up. I'm appreciative that our school let us do that. We have a great group of coaches who have bought in to what we're doing.
Q: What do the Pointers have to do to be successful?
A: We know our situation. We've tried not to sugarcoat things for our kids. We tell them exactly how it's going to be. We're not always going to be the most talented team out there, but we feel like we've done some things to help with that. Our margin of error is smaller than everybody else. We have to be perfect when we do things. But the cool thing is our kids understand that.
Q: How important would it beat a rival, win a big game in 7A-West play?
A: We need some success in a desperate way. Probably more than anything, we need to win a significant ball game, and I really believe that when we do that we'll be able to take a significant step. We were close last year. We had Russellville on the ropes; we had Conway on the ropes. We have to win that game.
Q: The Pointers are moving back into the 7A-West. It's a little down, with Bentonville splitting and Southside and Northside leaving. But it's still a great league.
A: Our kids have embraced going to the 7A-West. It is what it is. You've got some great programs and good coaches. But we feel like we have a better chance than we've had in the past. I know it's coach speak, and my wife will get on to me for using cliches, but we've really just got to take it one step at a time. It's about baby steps.
Q: When did you aspire to coach?
A: I tell people this story, and it's true. When I was in the seventh grade (Darby) I had to write a paper on what you wanted to be when you grew up, and I wrote about coaching. Every little kid wants to play professional football or baseball. I was going to be on the mound for the Yankees, but there wasn't much call for 5-9 chubby kids to do that, so I wanted to coach.
Q: You coached in Oklahoma for 25 years before taking over at Van Buren in 2015. Many differences between the two states?
A: The kids are the same. I have to get used to calling it conference here and not district. Over there, it's district. I think for me it's been an adjustment. I had been in Oklahoma for 25 years where I know everybody, and I come to Arkansas and I don't know anybody. But football is football. Arkansas is a little ahead because of what they put into football. The facilities are better. But coaches are coaches; there are great coaches in Arkansas and great coaches in Oklahoma.
Q: Did you have good role models growing up?
A: I did. I was very lucky. My dad (Harry) was a great man; he taught me a lot about playing hard and being a man. I had an uncle (Earl White) that actually helped start football in Hackett. I was fortunate that I actually gave the eulogy for both their funerals, just because they meant so much. When I was a kid playing little league football over in Fort Smith, because my head was so big, I had to go to Hackett to get a helmet from my uncle. I was a little embarrassed, because when I played little league I always had a Hackett helmet.
Q: What about other role models?
A: I had Joe Fred Young, an amazing guy, at Northside, and Jerry Jennings and Doug Pogue at Darby. There was a guy at Northside named Fred Davis when I was a sophomore and junior. He used to take us sophomores out there and beat us to death, but I thought it made a man out of me. I was kind of a soft kid and he really changed me.


Photo Credits: Kevin Taylor