Thurman leaving Gretna for Va. High

GRETNA — After two Group A Division 2 state football championships, Chris Thurman felt that the goals he had set for himself and his Gretna Hawks were met and that he was ready for a new challenge.

Thurman found the challenge that he wanted Tuesday and accepted the head coaching position at Virginia High School in Bristol, stepping down after a successful run at Gretna.

The 39-year-old replaces former Jefferson Forest coach Terry Smith, who resigned on Nov. 7 after a 3-7 campaign. Smith finished with a 21-33 record after taking over the program in 2004.

“I think I have accomplished all of my goals and all the goals that I had for the team here,” Thurman said. “To win back-to-back state championships with the record that we’ve had and the style in which we did it, I don’t think there’s a lot left for me to accomplish here. I’m ready to go and build a program that’s been struggling and build it up to the standards that are here — have been set here by the kids — and just put my stamp on a program and build it basically from scratch.”

Thurman leaves after a successful four-year run at the helm of Gretna, compiling a record of 47-4. In addition to the two state titles, Thurman molded Nick Miller into an Associated Press Group A State Player of the Year after being an assistant during Vic Hall’s stretch piloting the Hawks’ offense. Hall is now competing for the starting quarterback position at the University of Virginia.

During those four years, the Hawks were known for a balanced offensive attack and quick attacking-the-ball defenses. Gretna running backs and quarterbacks were able to accumulate more than 13,700 yards rushing in Thurman’s spread offense. The Hawks piled up 2,138 points in the past four seasons, an average of 41.9 per game.

His defenses pitched 13 shutouts in four years, with 11 coming in the past two state title runs. Gretna gave up an average of 13.4 points per game.

“We’re glad just to have him. We’re fortunate to get someone that’s had the success that he had over the past couple of years,” Virginia High Athletic Director Barry Reed said. “I think our community has wanted a proven coach and now we got him.”

The Bearcats will get a change in offense, as Thurman will implement the spread offense. Virginia High is primarily known for running the Wing-T offense in the Clinch Mountain District where most teams tend to be more run-oriented.

Virginia High School, a part of Region D in Group A Division 2, has not finished a season with a winning record since 2002, when the team went 6-4. The Bearcats have made the playoffs three times since then — 2004-06 — but have one playoff win to show for it.

“I’m going to go out and coach there the same that I coached here,” Thurman said. “I’m going to coach them hard, get them in the weight room and throw the ball around a little bit more than that part of the world is accustomed to seeing. I’m going to still find a way for me to enjoy doing it. When I’m having fun and the kids are out there having fun and you’re winning, I’m not going to change the way I am or how I coach.”

Gretna will begin the process of selecting a new coach shortly.

“Of course, we’re glad for Chris and his family that he’s found a situation that’s a step up,” Gretna Athletic Director Steve Scruggs said. “In the past, we’ve set up a committee. And that committee will take applications and we’ll narrow it down to four or five and then we’ll interview some people and go from there.”

It is now in the hands of Thurman to turn around a program that has won 32 games since 2000, including a pair of one-win seasons earlier in the decade. Despite the record, Thurman looks to keep coaching the same way he always has.

“It’s seeing kids you’ve seen come up through the program and work their butts off to get to a position or to a certain level and seeing them reach their goals, seeing them having fun scoring touchdowns or making tackles,” Thurman said. “That to me is what’s it all about. When you have a kid that maybe at one point wasn’t very confident in himself, all of a sudden, he’s a dominant player at his position. As a coach, that’s what you want to see.”