Harrison, Lonoke fill football head-coaching vacancies

Both hirings were confirmed Wednesday morning.

By Kyle Sutherland

Two Arkansas high schools filled football head-coaching vacancies over the past 24 hours.

The Lonoke School Board approved the hiring of Perryville head coach/athletic director Chris Norton on Tuesday night and released a statement Wednesday morning. Harrison announced via social media Wednesday morning it had hired former Goblins assistant Chris Keylon, who has been the coach at Riverview. 

Keylon, a Tennessee native, was on Harrison’s staff from 2014-20, serving as the Goblins’ defensive coordinator before accepting the Riverview job in June of last year.

Keylon takes over for Joel Wells, who resigned in January to focus solely on being Harrison’s assistant athletic director and head golf coach. Wells spent seven years on the sidelines, compiling a 61-21 record and winning three straight 5A-West Conference championships from 2018-20.

“It is a wonderful opportunity,” Keylon said. “It is a Class 5A school that historically has had some really good success in the last seven years under Coach Wells, and I was a part of a lot of that. It is just a really good opportunity to continue the path that Coach Wells has set up for everybody.”

Keylon took over a Riverview team that was coming off an 0-9 COVID season, and he gave the program life, achieving a .500 record and a berth in the Class 3A playoffs. He was named the 3A-2 Coach of the Year. 

Though the Goblins finished the 2021 season fourth in the 5A-West, which is unfamiliar territory for them, they hung tough with eventual state champion Pulaski Academy in the first round of the playoffs and were down just eight points in the fourth quarter before falling 36-21.

Keylon is excited to be back at a place he is so familiar with, but it’s bittersweet leaving Riverview after one season. 

“It is the most difficult thing I have ever done in the working world,” Keylon said. “When I say I love these kids, I truly, in my heart, love these kids. The future is bright, and the next guy is walking into a really good situation. Harrison is too big of a job based off my personal situation and I had to take it.”

Norton takes over for Harry Wright, who resigned in January to become the head coach/assistant athletic director at Bartlesville High School in Oklahoma. He will also serve as the Jackrabbits AD.

“I think this will be a great fit, and I hope to play a role in continuing to grow and improve Lonoke football and our athletic department as a whole,” Norton mentioned in the school’s Wednesday release. “I understand the importance of sharing athletes, raising money and improving facilities with a little work and community support.” 

Norton compiled a 21-22 record in four seasons at Perryville and took the Mustangs to the playoffs three times. He was named the 3A-4 conference Coach of the Year last season, an honor he has earned three times in his career. 

Per the statement, Norton will officially start at Lonoke on Feb. 21.