First steps
Bush, Alma assistant coaches embrace volunteer coaches
By Kevin Taylor
Alma Schools
Payton Morris remembers what it was like to get his foot in the coaching door. Ryan Pointer gained a valuable insight while volunteering at Dardanelle High School.
“I volunteered at Dardanelle for two years and did my internship with Jeremie Burns at Ozark,” Pointer said. “That was a big growing experience for me, being with him and coach (Brett) Stone. Having those guys with us (Alma) here now is a full 360-degree circle for me."
“I volunteered at the University of Central Arkansas when I was in college,” recants Morris, a Lavaca native who was promoted to offensive coordinator last season. “I actually slept on the floor in the coach's office; we had no money.”
This past summer, Pointer reached out to former Hackett quarterback Cole Ketchum about volunteering for the Airedales, just as he had done at Dardanelle almost 10 years earlier. The Alma offensive line coach already had an established relationship with the former Hornet while calling his plays from junior high to high school.
“I talked to him (Pointer) this summer, and I came to a few summer practices,” Ketchum said. “He told me to just keep coming when I could. It’s been a cool opportunity for sure.”
A sophomore at UAFS, where he hopes a kinesiology degree will land him a coaching job, Ketchum looks on from afar while Morris calls out plays every Friday night.
Pointer called plays for Ketchum for four years (2019-22) at Hackett, from junior high (eighth grade) through his junior season, before signing on with the Airedales and ultimately reconnecting with Pointer..
“As a young guy, trying to break into the coaching profession, you have certain people in your life you not only learn the game from, but you learn how to coach some, too,” Morris said. “For me, No. 1, that was Mark Headley, at Lavaca. He’s the first person I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do with my life.’
“When I got into college, it was Brett Shockley and Todd Knight at Ouchata Baptist. Those are two guys that care about the kids learning the game from those two was invaluable.”
Volunteer assistant coaches are a big part of most coaching staffs. Alma coach Rusty Bush welcomed two newcomers this year, Ketchum and former Airedale Jacob Coursey.
“For me, being in this chair (head coach), the profession is important to me,” Bush said. “It’s something that I’m extremely passionate about. Anytime you have good kids wanting to get into this profession, it’s inspirational to me. I want to help them; I have had lots of people do that for me. I think this is a good experience for them, and I want them to be shown the right way.”
Two years ago, Ketchum was dodging linebackers and learning on the go with first-year Hackett football coach Mason Wann. That season (2023), the former Hornets’ quarterback helped lead his team to four wins in their final six regular-season games and into the state playoffs.
These days, Ketchum sees the game from a different perspective. And, while his school colors have changed, the passion remains the same.
“It’s a cool, unique experience,” Ketchum said. “Not long ago, I was playing high school football, and here I am on the other end of it.”
"He's a special person and a special kid to me," Pointer said. "You can tell the way he played and being able to be coached that he'll do well in this profession, and it means a lot to me - someone that I've had an impact on and who wants to coach."
Ketchum, who aspires to become an offensive coach, stays close to Morris during practice, though he’s in the press box with veterans Jeremie Burns and Ryan Meyers on game nights.
“Cole’s got such a unique perspective, because he can closely relate to these kids,” Morris said. “He’s got the ability to see it from their eyes and provide that feedback with, ‘I was just there; I just did that - I feel the same way you feel about it.’
“He’s got a really unique ability to connect with those kids that way, and they will gravitate toward him.”
“He’s (Ketchum) a kid magnet,” Pointer said. “I challenge him to soak up everything he can. He wants to be an offensive coach. He’s always got the call sheet when we’re out here at practice, so he always does the right thing.”
“The main thing I’ve learned from him is he has a switch where you need to be serious, but also cut back and have a good time and make relationships outside the game,” Ketchum said. “I just want to get my feet wet and learn from Coach Morris, who has given me a good understanding of what it’s about by job-shadowing him.”
Pointer got the coaching bug while in high school, he said, before moving on to Arkansas Tech. He was able to help with Dardanelle coach Phil Vega for a couple of years before hooking up with Burns.
"There are multiple guys that I look back on,” Pointer said. “Obviously, I was a junior when Coach (Doug) Loughridge came over, so he had a big impact on me. Coach (Eric) Marsh was my offensive line coach, and the way he coached me influenced me to become a coach. When I was in college, he got me hooked up with some of his buddies in the coaching world, to be able to go and volunteer."