Paris Begins Live Action with Scrimmage against Mountain View

By Andrew Wells, Eagle Alumni and Arkansas Tech University Student

The Paris Eagles are entering the 2026 high school football season with a new head coach, Trevor Cooper. Cooper comes to Paris from Hector, where he led the Wildcats to five consecutive winning seasons in 2A. Paris opened the preseason with a 14-14 tie against 3A Mountain View in a scrimmage game. 

Paris returns senior quarterback Josh Honea, who earned All-State honors in 2025. Junior Athan Wells will serve as Honea’s backup while also seeing time at receiver. At running back, senior Landon Robberson leads the group as the most experienced back. He will be joined by junior Isaac Hampton and sophomore Isaac Churchman. 

At receiver, brothers Harley and Brock Barnhill are expected to play major roles in the Eagles’ offense. Harley is a junior, while Brock is a senior. Juniors Ty Farmer, Nicholas Perry, and Aiden Hull will also see meaningful snaps at receiver. Junior Dalton Farnam will line up at tight end. 

The offensive line is led by three seniors: Brady Bumgartner, Joel Johnson, and Brice Williams. Juniors Micah Hamilton and Rome Campbell bring additional experience to the group, while sophomores Jimmy Brousseau, Zerrick Robinson, and Dre Graham will look to make an impact during their first season of high school football. 

Many of the same players who will line up on offense will also make up the Eagles’ defensive line, as they look to replace a solid unit from the 2025 season. Senior Joel Johnson returns as Paris’ leading tackler from last season and will anchor the linebacker corps alongside Farnam, Hampton, and Robberson. In the secondary, the Barnhill brothers, Wells, and Farmer will take on key roles. 

Paris will look to start the season 1-0 this Friday, August 28, when the Eagles host the Gentry Pioneers. Gentry is coming off a 7-4 season, including a 4-3 conference record, and 2026 will mark the Pioneers’ third season under former Paris head coach Tyler Clark. The Eagles will look to start the season with a strong performance in their first non-conference game.