Hillbillies’ Burns still seeking title

LITTLE ROCK — Jeremie Burns just missed playing in a state championship game, but that’s not the case as a coach.

The final game of the Arkansas high school football season, Saturday night’s Class 4A state championship at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, will feature Burns’ Ozark Hillbillies against the Stuttgart Ricebirds.

Burns, 39, was a standout two-way lineman for legendary Alma Coach Frank Vines before graduating in 1991 — a year before the Airedales played in the Class AAA final at War Memorial.

Now, Burns has Ozark playing for its first state championship game since 1992, when it was beaten 34-7 by Pine Bluff Dollarway in the Class AA final.

Burns is in his second season as Ozark’s coach after spending the first 12 years of his coaching career as an assistant.

After graduating from Arkansas State in 1998, Burns was an assistant at Ozark from 1998-2000 and at Alma from 2001-2004. Burns returned to Ozark in 2005 and was promoted after Brooks Coatney moved to Van Buren following the 2010 season.

Burns said he didn’t have a chance to join Coatney at Van Buren and “probably wouldn’t have” anyway, in part, because of his desire to remain in Ozark and become the head coach.

“It’s worked out well, for sure,” said Burns, who oversees the team’s linemen.

More than well.

Burns is 21-4 at the Franklin County school, guiding the Hillbillies to a 9-2 record and the 1-4A championship last fall and a 12-2 mark this season.

Burns’ playing career was cut short by a back injury during his sophomore season at Henderson State in 1992.

In 1991, playing alongside All-AIC center Paul Calley, Burns had been the first true freshman to start in the offensive line at Henderson since 1979. Burns, then 6-3, 270 pounds, played left tackle.

“He was a real good player, to be a true freshman and come in and start,” said Calley, now a highly successful coach at Bryant. “Doesn’t happen very often.”

But Burns said his career ended after he ruptured two discs against Central Arkansas, an injury that eventually required surgery.

Burns remained at Henderson the next few years, working as a student assistant before transferring to Arkansas State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education.

Even before the injury, Burns said he believed he would have been drawn to coaching.

No surprise.

Henderson’s rosters during the late 1980s and early 1990s were littered with players who eventually became successful Arkansas high school head coaches.

Calley has won four conference championships at Bryant since 2003. Jeff Williams guided Fort Smith Southside to the Class 7A state championship in 2006. Mark King was 7-4 this fall at Horatio. Jay Holland took Lamar to the Class 3A semifinals in 2008.

Burns is now trying to secure Ozark’s first state championship.

“I went and watched him maybe 12 years ago when Ozark played over at Nashville,” Calley said. “I knew then he was going to be really successful as a coach, just watching his linemen play.

“He’s a nice guy, a real highcharacter person.”