FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) - It's the Casey Dick era at Fayetteville after the coaching carousel has landed the Purple Dogs with four coaches in the past five years.
But, Dick enters at a time where Fayetteville is riding a high - returning top-level talent and looking to make it back to Little Rock for the first time since 2016.
"You have to be all in," wide receiver Connor Flannigan said with confidence. "All In" is the team's motto this year. "You can't just have one foot in. You have to be totally bought in. All parts of our lives are dedicated to football right now because we're trying to get back to a state title in September."
Fayetteville won five state championships in ten years, and returning a high-octane offense who averaged 45 points and 431 yards a game last year is the motivation the team needs to get back to War Memorial.
"It's a senior driven team," Flannigan mentioned. "We have a lot of experience. We've had a lot of guys who have played varsity football before. We're just really experienced. We talented everywhere."
The battle of who will be the starting gunslinger is yet to be decided. With Hank Gibbs and Quinn McClain both bringing different skillsets to the table, Coach Dick says he's looking for one thing.
"Consistency," he said. "But they'll both play quarterback all throughout the year. That's the biggest thing. Quinn offers a little bit of a different set as far as being able to run the ball and do things like that. Hank is being able to orchestrate. They both offer and have done a great job with everything we've asked them to do so far. They'll both play quarterback for us throughout the year in packages that we do."
"We really just gel good with both," Flannigan explained of the battle. "Whichever one wins, I know we'll be happy. They're not bitter between the two of them. They want the best for either one for themselves. It's been good. It's been competitive. It's been good for the team."
Whoever wins the coveted QB1 spot will be backed up by a stacked defense who's first-team allowed just 18 points a game a year ago.
"Our front seven - we're going to be something special," linebacker and University of Central Florida commit Quade Mosier said. "Our defense has worked really hard. We play for each other. We're big on the whole brotherhood thing. Our big thing is being physical. We're not going to play another team that's as physical as us. We're gonna bring the wood for sure."
Expect some flying around, fast-paced plays, and high scoring when the Purple Dogs take the field. Even with a new head man, the team is out to prove they're the same dominant force in the 7A.
Fayetteville opens its season August 30th against St. Louis Vianney. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 PM.