Wednesday’s high school football practice was a change of pace for White Hall, but the Bulldogs are used to change.
It was their first practice in pads since spring, and senior running back Kylon Davis said it felt good to get physical.
“You can’t ever go wrong with going first day in pads,” Davis said. “We got to it today, got after it. First day, feels very good getting ready for Sheridan.”
White Hall also changed from its typical practice time by going in the morning. The Bulldogs practiced in the afternoon Monday and Tuesday and will do so again Thursday and Friday.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Change should be normal for the Bulldogs by now, though, because this season marks White Hall’s third straight year with a new head coach.
Daryl Patton came over from Little Rock Southwest to lead the Bulldogs early in the offseason, making him the school’s fourth head coach in the past four seasons.
Bobby Bolding coached this year’s seniors when they were freshmen in 2021. Ryan Mallett took over in 2022. When Mallett tragically died in the summer of 2023, Jason Mitchell stepped up as interim head coach for that season. Now, it’s Patton’s turn.
Senior tight end and defensive end Savion Slater said the Bulldogs have had to learn to adapt.
“Coach Mitchell did the best he could,” Slater said. “I think he handled things perfect to his advantage, and I’m ready for the new season and Coach Patton, how he handles things.”
Mitchell is the longest-tenured coach on the White Hall staff. He has been at the school since 2018 and helped the school manage these coaching changes. He was Mallett’s offensive coordinator and helped the team deal with his death while navigating a challenging 2023 season.
Patton retained Mitchell when he was hired but shifted him to defensive coordinator. He said having Mitchell on staff is like having another head coach.
“Coach Mitchell’s been great,” Patton said. “He knows the community. He’s been here, grew up in this area. Been a coach with a couple of different coaches. He knows the system. He knows the hidden things out there. He has really helped me out as a head coach, and he’s a great defensive mind.”
Although Patton may be gearing up for his first season with White Hall, the Bulldogs have had plenty of time to get used to his way of operating. He was hired in late December and led White Hall through an active spring and summer.
Senior wide receiver Ivan Armour is entering his second season playing football, so he hasn’t had the full four-coaches-in-four-years experience the others have had. Still, he said that changing coaches has been challenging, but that the Bulldogs just need to trust Patton.
“Coach Patton’s a great leader,” Armour said. “He’s turning up the discipline since fall camp’s got here. He was more lenient during spring, but now that fall is here, he’s way more strict, but it’s honestly what the team needs to get better every day.”
Patton said all the changes and everything these players have been through have had their effect. The past few months have been about earning each other’s trust. He said it is a process, but one that is progressing well.
The “getting to know you” phase is ending. Now, it’s all about preparing for the season opener at Sheridan.