Tru Blue 72

May God Bless and Keep this player and family. Will be praying for his recovery.

I'm guilty, like a lot of working class people of buying into that money, money, money; work , work, work attitude. I've never heard of anyone on their death bed say, "I wish I had spent more time at work." It has always been, "I wish I had spent more time with my family." So I can fully understand wanting to have more time with family, and I'm glad that I saw this years ago while my daughter was still young. I think Thad is wise enough to know that the job isn't what fulfills a mans life, its the memories made with loved ones that will create a lasting legacy.

You are correct, but the question I have in all this is "will Wells still be paid the same, or does this mean reduction in pay rate?" just asking out of curiosity. Just looks like he's giving up a lot here. On an different thread, I think it may have been the MANCE thread, someone said Wells would only take the HC job if he could also be the AD to enhance his resume.

We're not suppose to play football either, in fact most believe that the state of VA's western border is Salem. SWVA is just an imaginary place to those who live east of Salem. A lot of people also think SWVA is full of uneducated people who can't read or write, and don't know diddly about football. Been that way for years, even the VHSL has a hard time accepting that our high schools have a football program. lol

UPDATE: Heard from a very reliable source, Wells is not going anywhere, just rumors!!!!

Rumor going around town that Thad Wells has decided to move on to UVA if no football this year. Has anyone else heard this, and is it just the rumor mill that always seems to start up this time of year, especially when it comes to Richlands football?

Any Word on the other assistant coaches?

I think the major problem with fall sports will be crowd control. Players and coaches will pretty much follow the rules laid down by VHSL, but social distancing at the Backyard Brawl will be almost impossible to control, especially with the Bulldawgs having a shot at beating the Blues as many are predicting, can you imagine how many fans will be at that one game. I hope, beyond hope, that we have a football season, but with our Governor, who knows? We all need some form of normal right now, and like previous stated in this thread, if people can gather in the streets of major cities to protest, and exercise their constitutional rights, (which I totally agree with) than it would only seem right to allow fall sports to happen. Everyone please stay safe, and pray that we can get our teams on the field this season.

One of the best for me was a Regional Championship game in Tazewell between Bulldogs and Blue Tornado, don't remember the date, but remember it was cold as heck, snowy and muddy, just good old fashion football. Also the Richlands vs Stuart Draft was a barn burner. One of the best beat downs came when Richlands had no chance against Brookville and got there a little late, got off the bus, and put a whoppin on Brookville.

Welcome to the board, glad to hear you have seen the light. Good group of members on this board with good attitudes. If anyone seems out of line, it's corrected pretty quick. Just good conversation and football discussion on here. Thanks for coming on board.

Miss seeing my UK Wildcats play in March Madness, miss the Richlands girls softball being able to repeat. Other than that I don't miss the rest.

Is he bringing any assistants with him?

When Mance first arrived in Richlands as an assistant, his plan was to stay one year and then migrate back to Giles County, but as we all know, it didn't work out that way, and Richlands fans are all the more better for that situation. We can have all the plans we want to have, but often plans change and we're glad his did.

Speculation around town is that Wells will be the new HC along with being the AD. Someone close to the situation said he's projected to stay for at least five years, but Coach Mance only planned to be in the program for a year when he came to town, so I guess we will just have to wait and see. I feel the fan base will back whomever the HC turns out to be, but these fans can be very fickle if the program doesn't live up to expectations. Mance leaves a large footprint, and the fans have become very use to having a good program, almost to the point of being spoiled, so hats off to the new (whoever) HC, wish them the best.

Thanks for the info, makes perfect sense and I appreciate your knowledge on this matter. You know how it is with all this back and forth, and my how the rumors are flying, but that's not unusual especially given the subject. Patience is a virtue that not a lot of us rabbit fans seem to have in naming a HC for the hometown team.

I know that rumor has Thad Wells as the new HC at Richlands with only retaining two present assistants, but has there been any official word on this hire, or the two assistants retained. So far I am also hearing that this is all just rumors and no one has been decided on. So any clarity on this would be good.

How quickly this turned into an Akers thread instead of a Mance and search for replacement thread. Hats off to Thad Wells, wish him and his family well and much success with the new position.

Know there is a School Board meeting this evening, wonder if a new HC will be decided on during the meeting?

So if someone took the HC position combined with the AD position, I would imagine that would be a good rate of pay. The work load of the AD would add time, but don't a lot of HC's do both, especially on the high school level?

Question: If a person takes the HC and the AD position plus teach a class, does he get paid for both the HC and AD position? I know in the past schools had both HC and AD as single positions. Just wondering??

Been hearing that Wells was offered the HC along with the AD which will enhance his resume for the college level. Also heard that he plans to stay in Richlands for at least five years before moving up to the college level. If all this is true (and really who knows) I wish him and his family the best. Also heard that he plans on keeping three of the Mance assistants and make changes to match his system. Everything we hear is speculation and cannot be counted on until the final decision is made, of course.

Bluefield might be understandable, but would transferring to Loris really help any player that much? Outside of relocating to the beach area, how would that help him get to the next level, just asking. IMO Webb would be the go to guy for Richlands, and let's face it, probably his best chance to get next level recognition.

If rumor's hold true, it's not a player, it's an assistant coach. We're probably going to hear a lot of speculation going around, but I can't see a player going to Loris due to all that would involve, I mean you're talking about uprooting an entire family, so no I don't think it would be a player and Webb is staying put. Changes will come throughout life, and those who learn to look to the future and not live in the past, will be the victor's. Richlands has had a good run, but that doesn't mean we have to close the lid on the coffin just yet, could be an ever better run coming. IMO

I think history shows that all the assistants should receive credit along with Mance, and he has spoken highly of them every year. Never did hear Mance say the success the Blues had was all because of him. Snake was a great defensive coach as Graham can attest to, and when he left Richlands, it changed the defense and really showed.

Dennis Palmer would probably be a good fit, no doubt, but he left Richlands for a reason. I don't know what the reason was, but he's doing pretty good at Graham, so I doubt if he would return.