Varsity Vibe: Arkansas

A new era of Greenwood football is upon us! The district announced on Wednesday the hiring of long-time Defensive Coordinator Jason Gill as the new Head Coach of the Bulldogs. Gill replaces Chris Young, who served as Head Coach for 6 seasons and who is transitioning into a new role as Director of Student Activities and Operations.  Gill joins Jeff Williams to discuss the move and the future of Bul...

After six seasons as the Head Coach of the Greenwood Bulldogs, and serving as the Offensive Coordinator for 11 years prior, Chris Young is stepping down and moving to the role of Director of Student Activities and Operations.  What does this mean for Greenwood Football? A new era. Young visits with Jeff Williams about why he decided to make the move and how Jason Gill is a great fit to take over t...

There are only a handful of weeks left of the regular season before Regional Tournaments and State Tournaments begin for high school baseball. Teams are starting to separate themselves, and some surprises are starting to set themselves up for success.  Longtime Arkansas baseball reporter Kevin Bohannon joins Alyssa Orange to give his take on the action around the state and how teams have set thems...

Bentonville Tigers head baseball coach Will McGinnis is building his own groundwork for success his first season leading the program. But he's no stranger to the 6A-West. He played in it as a high schooler at Springdale, and coached as an assistant at Har-Ber.  McGinnis joins Alyssa Orange to discuss the 2026 season so far, growing up playing baseball in Northwest Arkansas for his dad, and wh...

Despite a wake boarding accident at 10, Brett Brewer was a high level high school player at Mountain Home High School as a goalie, and then went to college to pursue Agriculture. But the game kept calling him back.  He now is in his 3rd season as the Har-Ber head girls soccer coach, and continues to build the program in the right direction.  He joins Alyssa Orange to brag on the way his team has p...

The Lady Wolverines continue to play at a high level as they get closer and closer to the post season. Coming off wins over Heritage and a tie 0-0 over Rogers, they now look ahead to Northside and Har-Ber next.  Head Coach Kerry Castillo joins Alyssa Orange to give shoutouts to his team that continues to rise to the occasion. 

After taking over for the legendary head coach Noel Boucher in 2020, Leighton Hardin has been able to set his own standard leading the Conway baseball team while also embracing the tradition set before him.  He joins Alyssa Orange to talk about the 2026 team, taking over the program, and where the ceiling is for Conway baseball. 

When he first starting playing soccer at a young age, Bentonville West's girls soccer head coach Kerry Castillo had no idea the lessons the sport would teach him about life. Those lessons taught to him, and the people around him helped him through some of the hardest moments of his life. Sharing his testimony of what he's overcome plays a big role into how he views his responsibility as...

Fayetteville Softball head coach Ed Duncan has been with the Bulldogs program for 10 years, and is now in his 4th season at the helm.  He joins Alyssa Orange to share his love for the game of softball, how he got into the sport after being a dual sports athlete in football and baseball, and how he found his passion for art at a young age. 

Powered by Lindsey & Associates Hall of Fame Head Coach: Buck James  A legendary figure on the sidelines, James carved out one of the most respected coaching careers in the state, leading programs with toughness, discipline, and consistency for decades. Known for developing not just great players but great men, his impact stretches far beyond the scoreboard. Now, that legacy is officially stam...

The Lady Wolverines have stacked together wins over the last few weeks, including wins over Fayetteville and FS Southside.  Head Coach Kerry Castillo joins Alyssa Orange to give the lastest update on the team and what lies ahead next week. 

In 2022, Brandon Brewer left the very successful Owasso Baseball program as an assistant coach to come back home to Greenwood and lead his alma mater. As a former player, he's seen what it takes to maintain success in a town that builds champions.  He joined Alyssa Orange to share his story and what it's been like pouring back into the program that helped build who he is. 

JJ Andrews shined during the festivities of the McDonalds All-American week on Phoenix surrounded by the best high school basketball players in the country. And Varsity Vibe's Alex Hall was there to capture it.  Hall joins Alyssa Orange to give share is experience around the best new wave of talent, his favorite moments, and what it was like to cover the event on the inside. 

HawgBeat and Arkansas HS reporter Kyle Sutherland joins Alyssa Orange to break down how the softball season is unfolding, and the biggest storylines in high school athletics including Daryl Fimple's move to Arkansas Tech and Anthony Lucas' move to Fayetteville. 

It's been two weeks since our last episode, thanks to Spring Break, but that doesn't mean the action slowed down for the Lady Wolverines. They tied against Bentonville 2-2, then went on and beat Harrison, Springfield Catholic and Springdale.  Alyssa Orange and Head Coach Kerry Castillo catch you up on everything that is happening on the pitch, and freshman Addy Sharp joins us to share he...

From a star player at Pine Bluff to an assistant coach and now leading his own program, Claude Johnson has been around the game of football in Arkansas his whole life.  In February he was hired as the Marion Patriots new Football Head Coach and has hit the ground running starting to build his vision of success.  He joins Alyssa Orange to look ahead to his first season, why it's important for...

After nine years as an assistant coach for the Fayetteville Volleyball team. Kele Luigs is to take the torch passed to her by her mentor Jessica Phelan, and start a new era of Bulldogs Volleyball.  Luigs sits down with Alyssa Orange to share her own volleyball career, playing at Arkansas, getting into coaching, what she learned from Phelan and much more. 

After over a decade with the program, Pea Ridge softball head coach Josh Reynolds led the Lady Blackhawks to their first State Title in 2025. Now, he’s ready to build on that success.  He joins our host Alyssa Orange to look back on what that championship meant for the program, and the enjoyment he gets seeing his player’s hard work pay off.

Rogers Baseball head coach Matt Melson lead the Mounties to their second state title in 2025 and continues to maintain a level of success at Rogers that was built when he was a player and an assistant coach.  Melson joins Alyssa Orange to talk about his roster in 2026, what the program means to him, and how he still learns from his mentor Tom Woodruff. 

In 2025, The Bentonville Softball team won it's 7th State Championship. As one of the most successful programs in Arkansas, it's lead by one of the winningest coaches in the sport.  Kent Early learned from a young age what great coaching looked like from his father Alvy Early at UA-Monticello.  He sits down with Alyssa Orange to discuss how he's been able to build and sustain the su...

JJ Andrews won two State Championships with LRCA during his high school career, and although it didn’t end the way he wanted, he’s grateful and ready for the next chapter.  The Arkansas signee and 5-Star sits down with Alyssa Orange and looks ahead to the McDonalds All-American game, getting to the Hill, watching Arkansas through March Madness and how is family has been there every step of the way...

The Bentonville West Wolverines are coming off conference wins over Northside and Har-Ber, and now are ready to face their crosstown rivals, and the team that eliminated them from the postseason a year ago- Bentonville.  Alyssa Orange is joined with Head Coach Kerry Castillo and junior Hadley Moore to talk about their win over the Wildcats and the game with the Tigers. 

Baseball Season is kicking it into full gear, and it was a pleasure to have Kevin Bohannon join the show to breakdown all the classifications, players to watch and teams to keep in eye on in 2026. He's covered High School and College baseball in the state for over a decade, and he's sharing that knowledge here with us. 

The softball season has officially begun in Arkansas, and Kyle Sutherland has been covering the sports for over 10 years. He joins Alyssa Orange to break down each classification, what players to watch, and who could be competing for a state title in Hot Springs in May. 

In this week's Kickin' It With The Wolverines, the ladies were hit with their first in-game adversity when they dropped a conference match with Rogers. They were then able to learn a lot about themselves in the NWA Invitational they hosted over the weekend.  Head Coach Kerry Castillo shares the latest about his team, and the big rivalry game coming up next week.  Plus freshman Kaylee Fen...