When Walker Valley hired Drew Akins as its football coach in December 2018, the Bradley County high school did so with high hopes the young and energetic offensive mastermind could spark a change for a program coming off a 1-19 stretch over its previous two seasons.
Akins’ debut year finished with a 4-7 record and a return to the postseason, and now the red-hot Mustangs (8-2) are on the brink of another benchmark as they travel to Knoxville West (10-1) for the second round of the TSSAA Class 5A playoffs Friday night.
“We are a lot more confident, prepared, stronger and faster than we have ever been,” senior defensive back Lane Miller said. “We don’t go out there worrying about making mistakes, because we are one of the hardest-working teams in the state and best-coached teams, too. All we worry about when we take the field is flying to the ball and trying to make the breaks go our way.”
Reflecting on Akins’ tenure versus the first two years of his Mustangs career, Miller said “the atmosphere is completely different” now, which he considers “a tribute to our great coaches.”
Staff photo by Robin Rudd / Walker Valley football coach Drew Akins, left, has turned the program around quickly in his two years leading the Mustangs.This year Walker Valley has set records for wins, points allowed per game (13) and shutout wins (three), and last week’s 21-16 triumph against Knoxville Powell was the first postseason home win in program history, with the Mustangs capitalizing in just their second such opportunity.