New Coach for the Elite Retreat

After nearly 10 seasons of coaching football as an assistant football coach, Chris Akers of Bluefield, Virginia, decided to accept the challenge of turning the Rural Retreat Indians into an “elite” squad once again. Coach Akers, whose previous job was as an assistant at the Roanoke school William Fleming, went to Graham High School where he played under legendary Coach Glynn Carlock, one of the winningest coaches in VHSL history at 254 wins. In his time at Graham, it’s a safe assumption that Akers learned how to win. Daily at practice, Akers reminds his players, “If you can’t run, you can’t play.” With high hopes for his team, Coach plans for his starting skills players to be able to run a shuttle (25 yards down and back, six times; 300 total yards) in less than 55 seconds, while linemen are expected to run it in under 1:05. Such a feat will be hard to accomplish, but nothing is impossible for this program. Akers tells his players every practice that to win they have to grow stronger, bigger, and faster, and it’s up to them to do what it takes.

“We will respect everyone, yet we will fear no one.”- Coach Akers

“Coach has us motivated, and we are determined to bring this club back to a more-than-respectable status.”- Isaiah Addair

-Isaiah Addair