Casey Dick has had a hand in helping a pair of new high school football teams find early success in his coaching career.
Now he gets the opportunity to bring new life to an established, yet struggling program. Dick, Bentonville West's offensive coordinator for the past two seasons, was hired by Van Buren as its new head coach during Tuesday's school board meeting. Dick takes over for Greg Werner, who resigned two weeks ago to take over at Muskogee (Okla.) Hilldale.
"It's a good opportunity, and I'm being backed by some good people," Dick said. "We have a chance to do a good thing over there, and I'm ready to get over and go to work."
Dick had been with the Wolverines since their inaugural season in 2016 and also served as quarterbacks coach. West, which featured a high-powered offensive attack with quarterback Will Jarrett and standout receiver Jadon Jackson, reached the Class 7A state playoffs both seasons and finished second in the 7A-West Conference last fall with a 9-2 overall mark.
Now he assumes the reins of the state's smallest Class 7A school and a team that was winless last fall. Van Buren hasn't reached the state playoffs since a loss to Fort Smith Northside in 2011, and the Pointers' last winning season was 2010, when they went 7-5 and beat Benton in a first-round playoff game.
"It all starts with (Van Buren superintendent) Dr. (Harold) Jeffcoat and goes down from there," Dick said. "They have a policy that is set in stone. They have a common vision and a common plan, and they know what it's going to take to succeed.
"The school is rolling in the right direction, and the community support has been good. I'm ready to get down there, go to work and get things going."
Dick is more associated with playing quarterback at Arkansas from 2005-08. He completed 473 of 850 passes during his career with the Razorbacks for 5,856 yards -- which ranks sixth in career passing yards -- as well as 47 touchdowns and 34 interceptions.
After completing his collegiate career, Dick spent five years as an assistant at Byron Nelson High -- a school that opened in 2009 in Trophy Club, Texas -- and the Bobcats finished 7-5 and earned a bi-district championship in their second season. Dick was at Lakeside Junior High in Springdale during the fall of 2015 before joining West's coaching staff.
"You immediately think of him being a Razorback when his name comes up," Van Buren athletic director Randy Loyd said. "That got our attention. The job he has done at Bentonville West, with that kind of offense, says a lot."
Dick said he will try to get to Van Buren as soon as possible and hit the ground running since spring practices are less than a month away. Van Buren will open its season Aug. 28 at Alma.
Preps Basketball on 04/18/2018