By Bryce McKinnis

It takes a village.

As Bartlesville High School’s win totals have steadily improved over the past half-decade, the culture surrounding high school football has revitalized itself.

A big reason for that is Harry Wright, who enters his fourth season as B-Ville’s head man with three consecutive playoff appearances under his belt. When he arrived in B-Ville as a tried-and-true coaching veteran, he brought with him a slogan that has revolutionized the way his players prepare, and with it, the community’s attitude towards its high school football team.

“I have used the #EAT slogan since 2012 when I was a DC in Arkansas. I got it from a college coach. It stands for Effort, Attitude and Toughness, things we tell players they control and have to be great at,” Wright said.

It’s never more apparent how Bartlesville, population ~38,000, has embraced its football program than on Friday nights at Custer Stadium. When you have a good program in a town like Bartlesville, parents and faculty rarely miss a game. When you have a great program, everybody in town clears their Friday night schedule. In Bartlesville, the latter has become increasingly true.

“The community has been extremely supportive,” Wright said. “They have backed our program and helped us provide the kids with everything they need. We give back doing community service whenever possible.”

With 17 years of experience under his belt, Wright has learned one paramount lesson: The task of developing athletes, installing schemes and rallying a community is too great a task for one person to tackle alone.

“Assembling a staff is a challenging task. The most crucial factor I consider is the character and work ethic of the candidates,” Wright said. “I value individuals who genuinely care about children. While experience and expertise is great, the most significant aspect I look for is their willingness to invest time in building relationships with their positions and serving as positive role models.”

To Wright, pouring into the person is an indispensable factor in developing a player, all of whom will soon be adults and fewer of whom will become college athletes. Becoming a successful human is a process that will pay dividends in the lives of his players for decades to come, and Wright sees the gridiron as his classroom.

“My role is that my players can rely on me to have their backs and can count on me to always be there, obviously, to support them in football but also support them in life. I try and show them that if you will just keep working and not quit, you can be successful,” Wright said. “The biggest thing I hope they remember is that I loved them, and sometimes I had to be hard on them because I cared about them. I hope they see my work ethic and amount of hours and effort I put into developing them, and that I did that because I love them.”

As the summer of 2025 turns to its twilight and the sunsets fall on Custer Stadium earlier, you can be sure that the Bruins are gearing up for the approaching season with relentless work ethic.

“I’m excited about this group with the amount of young players we had to play last year, and to see how much they have grown in the last year,” Wright said. “The greatest lesson that I’ve learned is consistency is key. With every season you have highs and lows. Being consistent and just keep working to improve everyday is the goal.”