Hampton hires Poyen assistant Chris Morphis as head football coach

By Kyle Sutherland 

Per a statement released on Twitter Tuesday night, Poyen assistant Chris Morphis has been hired as the head football coach at Hampton.

“I am very excited to be named the head coach of the Hampton Bulldogs,” Morphis said. “I have enjoyed my three years working [at Poyen] with Vick and Keith Barrett and all the great coaches and administrators here. I can truly say that I am a better coach than when I stepped foot in the hallways of Poyen. They run a true kid-first program and I hope to use that model to build Hampton into a program that the community can be proud of for years to come.”

The Lake Village native helped Poyen achieve great success coaching the offensive and defensive lines, and he also served as an Indian baseball and basketball assistant coach. He was a part of the best football stretch in school history, helping lead Poyen to a 27-11 record along with a quarterfinal and semifinal appearance in the playoffs the past two seasons. Morphis has also spent time as an assistant at Western Yell County and Lavaca.

Hampton stumbled through a 3-7 season in 2021 but has had multiple playoff appearances over the past decade, including a state runner-up finish in 2016, and Morphis is up for the challenge.

“I am ready to get to work and start the journey, but at the same time it is bittersweet leaving such an awesome community, administration and coaching staff at Poyen,” Morphis said. “The support and thanks from The Tribe is overwhelming to say the least.”

Morphis will have a reunion of sorts with Barrett and Co. in Week 2 of next season when Poyen heads to Hampton for a nonconference game.