Hensley and Harrison

By KRISTEN HARMON WILLIAMS/Correspondent

Dedicated, loyal, hard working, the desire to succeed and to help others in life are great compliments.
These words are very fitting to Rural Retreat High School’s Quinton Hensley and David Harrison. This duo has made RRHS proud in many ways as they have shined in the classroom and in several sports over the years.
Hensley is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, and his parents moved to Virginia when he was 18, and he went on to attend Virginia Tech. Four years later, Hensley graduated with a degree in marketing, and he applied to the Wythe County School Board system for employment.
There were openings at Rural Retreat and Fort Chiswell and Hensley decided to move to the reservation, be an Indian, and take the job at RRHS.
Hensley started out teaching marketing and coached eighth grade football until Larry Neely left his offensive coordinator job to be head coach at Fort Chiswell. RR Head Coach Dean Rhea then moved Hensley up and put him in charge of the Indian offense. Hensley held that position until Rhea retired and took over the reins as head coach of the Indian football program in 2004.
When asked what changes he made in his first year, Hensley replied, “I felt that with the personnel that we had we would install the split-back veer, because our backs were small, and we didn’t have the big fullback type player. We studied it, talked about it, and decided that it would help us. On defense we simplified some things but not all that much. Coach Rhea had things in place, and I wanted to continue to build on what he had established here.”
In Hensley’s first year as head coach, the Tribe went 5-5 in the regular season and made the Division 1 playoffs as the fourth seed. Lo and behold, Hensley took his squad to Bath County and became the first head coach at RR to beat the Chargers in football as they won 18-14.
The following weekend saw Rural Retreat travel to Parry McClure and dusted the Blues by a 38-19 score and were crowned Region C champs.
The next week saw Hensley’s Indians travel to UVa-Wise as they squared off with J.I. Burton from Region D. This game saw the Indians fall short as they lost 21-20, costing them a shot at the state title.
“That first year was a lot of fun as no one picked us to go anywhere,” said Hensley. “We were young, got on a roll late in the season and the team played with confidence. Even though we lost a shot at state, we felt good about the way we finished the season.”
The 2005 season saw Rural Retreat have a sparkling 11-2 slate and were Hogoheegee District co-champions. In the first round of the playoffs, the Tribe blew past Craig County 40-14 and followed that up with a 40-21 trouncing of Narrows to be Region C champs again.
Once again, Burton was waiting in the wings, and the Indians lost a hard fought 14-6 decision. “If you would have told me that if we would have held Burton to 14 points and lost I wouldn’t have believed you,” he said. “They had a very good offense, but they scored the winning touchdown on fourth and long on a trick play. We didn’t play well on offense, and we made mistakes that we hadn’t made all year. Even in defeat, in my opinion, this was one of the best Rural Retreat teams that I have seen in my 21 years of coaching here.”
The 2006 football season saw the Tribe fare well again as it racked up nine wins and hosted the Division 1 playoffs. Rural Retreat edged Covington 28-24 and disposed of Bath County by a 49-19 score. The Region C champs then traveled to UVA-Wise and yes, they were matched up with the Raiders of J.I. Burton again.
“Burton was just better than we were that season,” said Hensley. “Matthew Heldreth had the game of his career, in my opinion, but that season Burton had the better team as I must be honest.”
This past season saw Hensley’s Tribe make the playoffs and be very competitive once again as the team went 8-4 overall. The Indians defeated Bland County in the first round but lost to Bath County the following week as the Region C streak was ended.
“For this team to win eight games with all of the injuries and missing some players for various reasons was awesome,” he said. “We overcame a lot to have the season that we did, and I am very proud of these young men and for what they accomplished.”
Days later, Hensley made the move from the gridiron to the hardwood where he assumed his duties as head girls’ basketball coach for the fifth year. When asked about the quick change of pace, Hensley replied, “I was disappointed after football with the way it ended, and if I didn’t have girls’ basketball to coach it probably would have bothered me for weeks. With basketball it helps to take my mind off of football and then my focus turns to the young ladies and trying to help them win basketball games for Rural Retreat.
“Coaching ladies is a little different as you must be careful how you word things, and I have a lot of fun with them. Coaching girls has helped me be a more rounded coach as I have learned to be more patient and to communicate much better with everyone.”
Last year Hensley’s Lady Indians fashioned a fine 16-4 record and the season before, notched 13 wins. This season the team is low on numbers with only nine players but is still very competitive under Hensley.
As soon as the basketball season is over, Hensley will move outside once again where he will be the head coach of the Rural Retreat varsity girls’ track team where he had made great strides with the program. When asked to comment on the track team, Hensley replied, “The girls’ program has really grown because in my first year we had only four girls participating. We have grown as a team and now we have over 20 young ladies on the team. Several girls have qualified for regional and state meets, and I am proud of their success. We feel like that we have a solid track program now, and we look for more to come on, join the team, and enjoy the season. It has been a pleasure to see this group grow and mature.”
In conclusion, “I would like to thank the administration at Rural Retreat High School, my coaching staff, and the athletes for making our program successful,” said Hensley. “I feel that I have one of the best coaching staffs around as Christopher Moore, Pete Fiscus, Jamey Hughes, Dean Rhea, Dean Eggers, Jon Dix and Rick Boyd have done a great job over the years. Coach Rhea has been a great resource for me as most of the football knowledge and game experience I know, I have learned from his. We are one together. We work to obtain the same goals, and it takes that to have success.”
Rural Retreat High School Principal Mike Neal said, “Coach Hensley has a great relationship with all students here at Rural Retreat, and he coaches both boys’ and girls’ sports. He has the respect of the community and has great support as the people of Rural Retreat are willing to work and help our sports program. He coaches three sports and is also a great asset in the classroom where he teaches marketing. Hensley does a great job staying in close touch with the local businesses as he get a lot of young students placed in jobs.”
Hensley has set the mark for Wythe County by winning three consecutive Region C championships. Also, Hensley has been voted by his peers as Hogoheegee Division 1 Coach of the Year four times, and Region C Division I Coach of the Year twice.
David Harrison is a prime example of defying the odds. In the second game of the 2006 football season against Grayson County, Harrison was running the football, and when he got tackled he knew that something was wrong.
His hand was bent backwards, and his arm was flat on top of his hand. Harrison was sent to a hand specialist in Salem, where he was told by a doctor that he had never seen a hand injury of this nature, and it was the worst the doctor had ever seen.
Two bones inside of Harrison’s hand had flip-flopped, and the doctor told Harrison that he would never play football or wrestle again. Harrison endured two operations and had four pins inserted in his hand, two internal and two external.
“That was probably the lowest point in my entire life,” said Harrison. “I had gone to wrestling camps, lifted weights and was hoping for outstanding seasons in football and wrestling. My hand was in a cast for three months and in a brace for a month afterwards. When I went back to the doctor, he was amazed and told me that he didn’t see why I couldn’t start using my hand again.”
Harrison began using the hand right away, as he started wrestling midway through the season and did a fantastic job as he won the Hogoheegee District and Region C title and finished third in the state tournament.
When asked how he felt about the comeback in his junior season, Harrison replied, “I was proud of myself for not quitting and giving up. Also, it helped me to regain my motivation for sports, school and life in general.”
This past football season saw Harrison be more determined than ever, as he had a season that many players dream about. Harrison ran the football for 1,851 yards, hit pay dirt 26 times, and averaged 8.3 yards per carry, establishing a school record. On defense Harrison was also outstanding as he led the team in tackles from his linebacker position.
Against Chilhowie, Harrison ran for 280 yards and missed the single game rushing record by a mere nine yards. For his effort, he was voted the Tri-Cities News Channel 5 player of the week. Harrison was also recognized as the Character Athlete of the week twice.
When the Indian football season was over, Harrison continued to reap awards for his sterling season. He was voted first team All-Hogoheegee District running back, first team All-Region C running back, Region C Offensive Player of the Year, Associated Press second team all-state and first team all-state by the Virginia High School Coaches Association. Not bad for a young man that was told he would never play football again.
“It felt really good to play football again, and I enjoyed being on the field with all of my friends. I think that the reason I succeeded in football was because I trusted my coaches, and I tried to do exactly what they said to do,” said Harrison. “Coach Hensley and Coach Moore knew what they were doing and the results proved it. Also, I would like to thank all of offensive linemen for the holes they gave me in each game, and I held a bond with all of my teammates and enjoyed being with them.”
Harrison can also kick the round ball as he has played soccer at Rural Retreat for the past three seasons. He led the Tribe in scoring each year and was voted first team All-Hogoheegee District, first team All-Region C and was voted the team’s offensive player of the year last season.
Harrison ran track for Rural Retreat in his freshman and sophomore seasons and in 2005 led the team in points.
Getting back to the wrestling mat, Harrison started to grapple at Rural Retreat Middle School. Harrison took to wrestling like a duck takes to water as he was middle school state champion, wrestled for Team Virginia and placed fifth in the national tournament and made the All-American squad.
In the summer of 2006, Harrison placed sixth in the nation at the NHSCA National Wrestling Open. During Harrison’s wrestling career, he has been a two-time Hogoheegee District champ and a three-time Region C champion. Harrison has also finished third in the state tournament for the past two seasons.
“David has been wrestling for me for the past six years, going back to middle school where he was an All-American,” said wrestling coach Rick Boyd. “Our program really got started during his seventh and eighth grade years, and he has been here for some good seasons. Harrison represents everything that our program is built around, being a good student, a good athlete, and his work ethic is second to none. David has held the number one ranking in the state in his weight class all season, and we hope that he finishes the season there.”
When asked what his goal was for his final wrestling season at Rural Retreat, Harrison replied, “My one and only goal is to win the state championship. I have worked for this for six years, and I have attended four wrestling camps this summer to prepare for the competition that I will face. I know that the competition will be tough, but I feel confident, and I am taking my matches one at a time. I give Coach Boyd the credit for my success in wrestling as he has molded me into a state contender.”
Harrison also has found time to serve the RR community while being an Eagle Scout. He raised the money and directed the building for a Rural Retreat Middle School volleyball court as a project.
Harrison also shines in the classroom as he attends the Governor’s school, is a member of the National Honor Society, in the top 10 percent of his class, and carries a 3.86 grade point average. He scored 1630 on his SATs and was perfect on his U.S. Government SOL. At the present time, Harrison plans to attend Va. Tech and enroll in the engineering program.
“If anyone has ever given their all to Rural Retreat High School, it would have to be David Harrison,” said Hensley. “He is all you would want in an athlete and a student to represent our school. He ran for over 1,800 yards but didn’t get acclaim for his defense. This may sound hard to believe, but his defense might have been better than his offense. He was the glue that held our team together.”
When the wrestling season is over, don’t be surprised if Harrison does a double-dip as he could be an all-state wrestler as well as an all-state football player. Remember, this young man was told he would never play football or wrestle again. Harrison has defied the odds.