Billy Dawson came to Russellville two years ago with championship knowhow.
That knowledge was acquired at Nashville, where the Scrappers won three consecutive Class 4A state championships (2005-2007) under Dawson.
But Nashville’s situation, Dawson said, was a little different from what he found in Pope County at Russellville.
“Nashville, they had the parts in place,” Dawson said. “You just wanted to keep the ship afloat. Guide that in the right direction.
“At Russellville, every little thing was new. Every little thing was building a bridge. To watch that thing grow as fast as it did, it shocked me.”
The Cyclones caught on fast, after going 5-7 in Dawson’s first season, winning their first state championship in the modern era of state playoffs, which began in 1968.
Russellville defeated Greenwood 37-23 on Dec. 3 to win the Class 6A state championship, completing a 12-1 season, avenging their loss to the Bulldogs on Oct. 14.
For his efforts, Dawson is this year’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette All-Arkansas Preps coach of the year.
The Cyclones started 1-5 in Dawson’s first season, but won three of their final four regular-season games to reach the playoffs, losing at Pine Bluff in the Class 6A quarterfinals.
Russellville returned quarterback Cale Fulsom, wide receiver Caleb Stokes and defensive lineman Layton Bicanovsky from that first team, but Dawson said he didn’t expect his team to be a state championship contender in his second year.
“I expected us to be better,” Dawson said. “I expected us to win a game or two in the playoffs. We got better as the year went on. Things fell into place. We didn’t get anybody hurt. We took care of the football.”
Russellville went 9-1 during the regular season, finishing with the 6A-West’s No. 2 seed behind Greenwood. In the Class 6A playoffs, the Cyclones defeated West Memphis and Benton to reach their first state championship game.
Dawson credited his 19 seniors, including Fulsom and Stokes.
“They all played such a large role,” Dawson said. “They did what it took. They played a great role in that. They played a great role in the leadership in the offseason.
“It was leadership by service. They did a nice job of buying into the program.”
Now Dawson has won state championships at two schools, and he’s proud of what his staff was able to accomplish in just two years.
But Dawson said the credit goes to his players for winning a title in the state’s second-largest classification.
“It proves the system works in multiple places,” Dawson said. “But it comes back to those dudes. We had some good dudes who were good leaders.
“You always have a chance when you have that.”
Dawson at a glance
SCHOOL Russellville
YEARS AT SCHOOL 2
2016 RECORD 12-1, 6-1 6A-West
HIGHLIGHTS Led Russellville to Class 6A state championship. ... Went 9-1 during regular season. Avenged only loss by defeating Greenwood in state championship game. … Cyclones averaged 35.2 points per game while allowing 15.9 points per game. ... Guided Cyclones to school’s third 10-victory season. ... Coached his fourth state championship team. ... Led Nashville to three consecutive Class 4A titles in 2005-2007.