The search for a Scrapperette softball coach continues in the Nashville School District.
Coach Paul Ernest resigned earlier in the year to accept the head football coaching position at Gentry.
Nashville has interviewed seven prospects for the Scrapperette opening, according to Superintendent Doug Graham.
“Some withdrew from consideration. We eliminated some. We feel we’re close,” Graham said. “Our goal is to have somebody by the June 15 school board meeting, if not sooner at a special meeting.”
Prospects include coaches from Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas, Graham said. “They come from Class B to 7A, the full gamut.”
Of those who are no longer under consideration, “Some are going to other places or decided to stay where they are. There were some we decided weren’t a good fit,” Graham said.
The district is also looking for a receivers coach for the football program. “We hope to have somebody in after the dead period” required in late June and early July by the Arkansas Activities Association, Graham said.
“We have a decent option to try to make work. I hope we get this finalized by the end of the dead period.”
The new assistant will succeed Ernest in the receivers coaching position. The board earlier hired Nick Evans as defensive line coach, succeeding Jerry Baker who resigned from coaching and will teach civics full time at junior high.
Coach Brian “Boomer” Brown has been working with the high school defense during spring football. He will return to junior high when the new assistant is named. “We appreciate Coach Brown coming during spring ball. He’s a valuable addition to our junior high program and has helped the junior high kids in the weight program. I give Coach Brown a lot of credit,” Graham said.
The district has other openings to fill before classes begin in August, Graham said. Those include seventh grade English, sixth grade elementary, two nurses, a part-time to full-time secretary, and a high school math teacher to succeed Allyson Tollett.
“I feel pretty confident that most of this is do-able,” Graham said.
