Christiansburg saw veteran coach Tim Cromer resign after the 2016 season. It was a 1-9 campaign. Former Glenvar assistant coach Alex Wilkens stepped in to take the reigns in his first head coaching position.
The Floyd County native played under the legend, Winfred Beale, and played college ball at Bridgewater. It's a fresh start for the Blue Demons who were building numbers, and confidence, in the offseason.
"They've got a new fresh start just like me. I told them I'm 0-0 as a head coach. I have less wins than anybody in the state of Virginia. So I've got that chip on my shoulder and I know they've got the same chip on their shoulder just to get after it and prove people wrong. So I think that transition will be just fine. I think it's become a kind of infectious thing, to start working, they're enjoying that environment and they're working hard together and I think when you can do that then you can see great strides in your program," said Wilkens.
"I think we want to leave the legacy of, we were the seniors when it started to change. We were the change, the pioneers I guess you could say, the first class to kind of get this program going in a new direction. An awesome direction," added senior quarterback and safety Nic Cook.