As the start of the 2019 high school football season inches closer, one local school will be celebrating a milestone. This year will mark the 50th season for Panther Football at Yellville-Summit High School.
Yellville-Summit fielded its first team in 1970. Superintendent Don Page served as the head coach for the first five seasons. The Panthers started posting some victories under the direction of Bob Stone from 1975 through 1978. In the late 1970s, head coach Mike Walker and defensive coordinator Gordon Jackson led Yellville-Summit to a 5-5 record with victories over conference rivals Marshall and Mountain View.
The Panthers became playoff contenders in the early 1980s. Rick Covington was at the helm for the 1981 and 1982 seasons, and Jim Gentry served as the head coach the following year assisted by Billy Fogerty, Gordon Jackson and Mike Riley. During that time, Yellville-Summit posted victories over Class 2A powerhouses Mountain View, Clinton, Greenbrier and Vilonia. Riley, a retired colonel in the United States Marine Corps, took over the rains and stayed on as head coach for six years.
The Panthers’ longest-tenured head coach began his run with the records in his first two seasons being 6-4 and 8-2. During Calvin Mallett’s 23 seasons at the helm, Yellville-Summit advanced to the playoffs for the first time in program history in 1995. Mallett’s assistant coaches were Allen Gustin and Steve Jones for that first postseason run. Jones now serves as the athletic director at Yellville-Summit, and he credits Mallett for paving the way.
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In 2000, Mallett and Defensive Coordinator Gustin were joined on the coaching staff by Mike Truxler and David Wyatt. The four coaches stayed together as a staff for 12 seasons.
The 1995 playoff appearance was the start of five consecutive postseasons for the Panthers. Under Mallett’s leadership, the Panthers advanced to the playoffs 16 times, won the outright conference championship in 2001 and finished as conference co-champs several other times, including Mallett’s last season in 2012.
Mallett says he was able to coach several great players during his time on the sidelines. He says what made his last year memorable was being able to coach the senior season for his son, Stockton.
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After a four-year absence from the postseason, Yellville-Summit has made back-to-back playoff appearances under current head coach Lucas Morris. Morris is beginning his third season at the helm, and he’s currently assisted on his staff by James Rhodes and defensive coordinator Clark Gustin, the son of Allen Gustin. Morris was hired in 2017 after serving as the head coach at West Junior High School in West Memphis, and Mallett says he is a good fit to lead the Panthers.
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Yellville-Summit will begin its 50th season Sept. 6 when they host Green Forest, and they will honor the teams from 2010 to the present. The teams from 2000 to 2009 will be recognized when the Panthers host Berryville on Sept. 20, and the teams of the 1990s will be honored the following week when they entertain Melbourne for the conference opener. For the Turkey Trot game Oct. 11 against Rector, Yellville-Summit will feature the teams of the 1980s. The Panthers will wrap up the season with their Senior Night game when they host Marshall in the “Battle of the Buffalo,” and the school will honor the teams of the 1970s.
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