31 Dec 2024 Five-Oh-Ones to Watch 2025: Matthew Post
By Stefanie Brazile
Coach Matthew Post is committed to continuing the legacy of trust, love and support that he learned at home and from his own high school coach.
“I always think that you get the most out of people when you trust and love each other, so we do a lot of team bonding,” he said.
Post is head girls basketball and cross country coach at Clinton High School, a 4A school in Van Buren County. With five years under his belt at this district, the success of his philosophy and skills has been proven by achieving three basketball conference championships and two regional championships, and his team has made it to the state tournament four consecutive years. Additionally, his fellow 4A coaches voted him conference coach of the year three times.
In the cross country realm, Post’s team won two conference championships and, in 2023, was a 4A state runner-up. His peers in the conference voted him 4A cross country coach of the year twice.
He graduated from Mayflower High in 2013 where he played football and basketball for a personal hero, Coach Jed Davis, who is now superintendent at Bald Knob. “A lot of the stuff we do I got straight from him,” Post said. “He’s the main reason I went into coaching. He’s awesome!”
Post attended Arkansas Tech University and earned a bachelor’s degree in health and PE, as well as a master’s degree. In addition to coaching two sports, he teaches health classes. Now a Yellowjacket at heart, he supports fellow teachers and attends many school events.
“I try to support all our kids, teachers and coaches because everybody is working hard,” he said. “I think the more you support others the more they support you. We want to see everybody be successful in our small town, and we compete to win in everything we do.”
A calm man, Post learned the importance of solid relationships and having fun while growing up. He has found other leaders who share his philosophy at Clinton. “Our administration and booster club provide anything we need. One of the best things about our high school is that Principal Tim Smith loves our kids and makes school fun every day so the kids and teachers want to come to school.”
The coach also likes to have fun with the goal of team building. Clinton’s arch-rival is Heber Springs, and the annual football game is known to locals as “The Battle of the Little Red.” Each fall his players create a parody video before the long-awaited football game which is shared on social media. “I think it’s good to teach them how to work hard but to have fun while you’re doing it.”
A meaningful event he duplicated from his youth is a mother-daughter retreat for his seniors and their moms. “I got to see the impact that the father-son retreat had on myself and my teammates. I think it’s important for them to spend one-on-one with their moms before they go out in the world. I have them write letters to one another that I collect and then hand out on seniors’ night in February.”
By emulating the best he learned at home and at school, Coach Post is creating a legacy of caring and success for future generations.
