Committee Narrows Rison Coaching Search to Two

RISON - A committee conducting the search for a new head football coach for Rison High School has narrowed the field to two finalists, and Superintendent Craig Dupuy said a decision on who to recommend to the Cleveland County School Board could come this Thursday. Dupuy is part of a six-person committee that interviewed four candidates for the position last week: two on Tuesday, Jan. 17, and the other two last Friday, Jan. 20. Dupuy said the committee has narrowed the field to two finalists, and the group will meet again this Thursday, Feb. 2, to recommend a candidate before the full school board during its regular monthly meeting on Feb. 21. The committee that is conducting the interviews includes Dupuy, Rison High School Principal Davy King, Assistant High School Principal Zach Branch, Rison Elementary Principal Letitia Johnson, Diana Taylor of the district’s Certified Staff Personnel Policy Committee, and Cleveland County School Board President Harrell Wilson. The four candidates that were interviewed included three head coaches and one defensive coordinator. Dupuy said two of the candidates were from Class 5A schools while the other two were from Class 3A schools. Dupuy said one of the prospects had won a state championship and finished as a state runner-up in another season. He said another candidate had won three conference titles. Dupuy said Monday that Davy King was presenting follow-up questions to the two finalists, and those responses will be considered during Thursday’s committee meeting. The Rison coaching position became open on Dec. 21 when long-time Coach Clay Totty resigned to accept the head coaching job for Class 5A Wynne High School. Totty led the Wildcat football program for 25 years, the longest tenure of any coach in the program’s history. He took the ‘Cats to the playoffs for 24 consecutive seasons, winning two state championships, one state runner-up and making the state semifinals in three ...