Bolding looking to once again revive North Little Rock grid program
BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON
After eight highly successful years away leading a dominant Little Rock Parkview football Brad Bolding has returned “home” to North Little Rock.
Bolding, who parted ways with the Charging Wildcats in 2015 after a highly successful 10-year run, was re-hired Jan. 17 after winning three straight state championships with the Patriots.
The 55-year-old Bolding, 169-64 overall in 18 seasons as a head coach, will be facing the challenge of rebuilding a North Little Rock program that went 0-10 under Clint Reed last season and led to his firing.
Bolding, who continued to livein North Little Rock while coaching at Parkview, enters the task with excitement as practice begins Monday, August 4.
“The culture is the big thing and that is the focus,” Bolding said at the recent Big Miller Media Days in Little Rock. “Since January, I feel like we have almost done a 180. That’s not a knock on anything from the past. We don’t live in the past. We learn from it.
“…We have just tried to focus on ourselves and these seniors and getting them to understand that this is their team. And they are leading it and have got to be vocal and demonstrate how things exactly have got to be done.
“And these guys haver done as tremendous job. And I have been relentless, probably more relentless about it in 28 years of coaching and they have bought into it and embraced it and that’s a very good sign.
“I think we can surprise some folks this year. I’m not going to sit up her and write a check and I don’t think they are either, but I can tell you they have worked extremely hard and I am really happy with where we are as a program. This upcoming season, man, really excited about getting it kicked off.”
Taking over a struggling program mirrors somewhat what Bolding with a Parkview program in 2016 -one that had not had a winning season in seven years.
Bolding was 63-30 in 10 seasons at North Little Rock and then 69-27 in 8 seasons at Parkview, where his older brother Bobby moves up from defensive coordinator to head coach.
That includes going 39-3 the last three seasons with a 33-0 against Arkansas Class 5A programs.
North Little Rock returns nine starters on offense and seven on defense.
That includes a trio of returning all-conference players in offensive lineman Donovan Tidwell (6-1, 302), linebacker/tight end Cyntonio Dicus (5-11, 210) and defensive back/receiver Dayvian Withers (5-11, 170).
North Little Rock will open its season at Rogers on August 29.
The visiting Mounties blanked the Charging Wildcats 43-0 in last season’s lid-lifter.
After a bye week, North Little Rock will then host Benton (Sept. 12) and Little Rock Catholic (Sept. 19).
“I really like our non-conference schedule this year and I think what we will learn from that as a team will really help propel us into conference play this year,” Bolding said.
That trio of games will lead into a facing a loaded 7A Central conference that includes Bryant, Conway, Pulaski Academy, Little Rock Christian , Cabot, Little Rock Central and Little Rock Southwest.
It’s a coaching group that has five program bosses with at least one state championship under their belt.
“If you are going to be in the business, I am all about that, being a part of that,” Bolding said. “I think we can feed off of that and learn from each other.”
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