New head Fair Grove football coach Joshua Evans has the luxury of taking over a winner, not a program in need of foundational repairs. The former two-time NAIA All-American defensive lineman took command of the Class 2 Eagles in May after Bill Voorhis left for the same position at Class 6 and Central Ozark Conference member Kickapoo.

Evans’ Background and Philosophy

Evans, the 2017 Heart Conference Defensive Player of the Year, grew up in Pleasant Hope and has always been familiar with Fair Grove. "I've always thought Fair Grove has done a great job, and everybody's kind of jealous of Fair Grove as far as the culture that's been here and the athletes that have come through," he said. Evans was most recently a defensive coordinator at Buffalo and previously led the defense at Class 1 power Marionville.

Evans is focused on maintaining the team's winning history while adding his own core beliefs to the mix in hopes of bringing a fresh perspective to his players. "I spent a lot of time early to figure out what was good; what we wanted to keep and what was sacred," Evans said. "But also, I let them know that the changes we're making aren't because they were bad, but it's just that I have my own voice and my own message."

Team and Coaching Staff

Evans, whose team returns several starters and multiple all-conference players, including Missouri State-bound baseball player Gavin Thomason (quarterback), says that he looks for opportunities — big and small — to improve an aspect of their game. The Eagles will employ a new-look defense while boasting an offense that also values physicality.

"Offensively, we want to control the clock, be intentional with our playcalling, protect the football and be violent at every position on the snap of the football," Evans said. "Defensively, we want to aggressively attack our opponents weaknesses, create negative plays and always be looking for opportunities to take the ball away."

The transition from Voorhis to Evans was made much smoother by the assistant coaches that Voorhis hired, who stood pat in Fair Grove following his departure. "Sometimes that's tough – to be head coach with coaches that you didn't hire," Evans said. "But, we have a lot of really good assistant coaches that are really good at their job – a lot of talented coaches, a lot of hard-working coaches. I'm really excited about getting to coach with them."

Original reporting: Springfield Daily Citizen — read the source article.