New Adair County High School football head coach, Bryan Cross, introduced himself last Thursday night in a meet and greet at the high school’s cafeteria.
In December, Cross was announced as the new head coach following the departure of Steve Stonebraker at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Stonebraker helped lead the Indians to something of a football renaissance in his two-year stint at Adair County before accepting a position at Danville. As an assistant coach for Stonebraker since 2016, far before they came to Adair, Coach Cross seemed an obvious successor.
At Thursday’s Meet and Greet, the former defensive coordinator-turned-head coach laid out his program goals and expectations to a crowd of around thirty parents, students, and community members.
“Coming over here every day is fun. I enjoy this job, I enjoy being around these kids, and that’s kind of a testament to how they’re being raised. I love being here… My number one thing is to create a great experience for your kid. I want them to enjoy being a part of this program. I want them to understand that the things you’re going to do with your teammates in high school, your buddies, those are going to be your lifelong friends… This is their ‘Rosebud,’ the thing they’re going to remember most,” Coach Cross said, comparing the experience of high school football to the film “Citizen Kane.”
Coach Cross went on to explain his coaching style, describing it has an “old-school” style, though also reiterated that he wants it to be a fun and fulfilling experience for those participating, which will in turn create an easy method of word-of-mouth recruiting.
“We want to play fast in practice… that’s our conditioning,” he said. “I don’t want to make football drudgery and punishment… It’s not an easy game, it’s hard enough playing the game itself… I want to make other people look around the building and go, ‘Man, football looks like a lot of fun. Maybe I want to try that. Maybe I want to play.’”
Maintaining competitiveness and safety were other priorities that Coach Cross shared, but near the top of his list was ensuring everyone knew all the correct terminology and lingo, which Cross believes will make training far easier. If someone doesn’t know what duos are, that creates an additional challenge that can set students back early in practice.
Coach Cross also stated he would like to see his athletes be involved in the community—for example, helping show up for the middle schoolers and bring those students in when they get to high school.
Cross envisions a culture where stats matter less than what every player brings to the team in a unique way.
“We want to create a culture where everybody here has some value. There’s always something you can do that I can’t do,” he stated.
By Kenley Godby
kenley@adairvoice.com