Ewing comes home as Tigers’ new head coach

The Green Forest Tigers will have a new head football coach in the fall of 2025, but he’s no stranger to Green Forest.

Dalton Ewing, who was an All-State fullback for a Tigers squad that went 10-3 and won two state playoff games in 2013, has been hired to take over his hometown program after the departure of Greg Tibbitt.

Tibbitt, who served as the Tigers’ head coach for the past five seasons, has been named head coach at Glenbrook School in Minden, La. Like Ewing, Tibbitt is returning to familiar territory. He was Glenbrook’s head coach in 2012 and 2013, leading the Apaches to 15 victories and an appearance in the 2013 Midsouth Association of Independent Schools semifinals.

Tibbitt’s Green Forest teams won 12 games in five seasons, but eight of those victories came in last two seasons with the Tigers. Green Forest — which hadn’t won four games in a single season since Ewing was a senior in 2013 — went 4-6 in 2023 and finished 2024 with a 4-7 record that included a state playoff appearance. The Tigers won three of their five Carroll County Super Bowl games against archrival Berryville during Tibbitt’s tenure, including a 37-13 win last season.

“It’s been a tough gig, but I think I’m leaving it better than I found it,” Tibbitt said. “We’ve had some good kids come through and we’ve had some groups that have bought in. We’ve had success, and as minimal as it is compared to a lot of places, it was really good for us. It’s been an interesting yet fun five years.”

Ewing, who returns to Green Forest after a stint as an assistant at Harrison, said he wants the Tigers to develop a hard-nosed mindset.

“I want our identity to be a very physical and tough team,” he said. “Playing there and being from there, the only way I had success and we ever had success was just outworking people. That’s kind of the mentality we’ve got to bring there is, we’re going to outwork people and we’re going to outhit people. That’s the only way we can compete is if we are tougher than any other team.”

With that in mind, Ewing said the Tigers will operate out of a Wing T or Gun Wing T set with the goal of running the ball right at their opponents.

“Just something where it’s downhill running,” he said. “Get behind our good O-linemen and give the ball to some of our good backs. I want our identity to be a very physical and tough team.”

Defensively, Ewing said his preference is to run a 3-4 base with quarters or palms coverage in the secondary.

Ewing said he believes his connection to Green Forest will be helpful.

“I think early on it’ll help, especially getting some more kids out and being able to build that relationship quick.”