A high school coach held football practice in blistering heat. What happened next nearly tore the team apart
Before the season was in jeopardy, before the boycotts and parent protests, before the Risk Management reports, Justin Akers was trying to get his football team on the field.
As head coach at Monacan High School, Akers knew the unseasonably hot conditions on Sept. 1 could force the school to cancel outdoor practices. The school’s artificial turf can reach temperatures as high as 200 degrees in the midday sun. So he asked his players to meet before school that morning, when temperatures were cooler.
What happened next remains disputed. Several players reported blisters, prompting the school to remove Akers from his coaching position. Administrators initially appeared to expect his assistants to step into the vacancy and finish the season. Instead, they stood by Akers and declined.
Parents split, too. One group demanded a meeting with Activities Director Wyatt Hicks, arguing that the pause in the program was costing their children opportunities to be scouted by college programs.
Another group of dads offered to coach the team themselves.
Hicks, meanwhile, stayed after school each day to help players work out as the controversy escalated.
“We have 2 paths forward - the county moves quickly enough to bring him back soon or I believe the rest of the staff will continue to stand their ground and we lose the season,” he wrote in an email to one parent. “I don’t see a scenario where the rest of the staff comes back without him because they are proving a point.”
With that, one of the smallest high schools in Chesterfield County was thrust into a national debate over football conditioning, and the underlying question: What’s the difference between a tough practice and an unsafe one?
The coach, Justin Akers, said he would have to check with school officials before speaking with a reporter. CCPS spokesperson Shawn Smith said he messaged involved parties with The Richmonder’s request but didn’t hear back.
The practice
The Chiefs lost their season opener to Manchester, 36-0, and were preparing to face Hanover when they moved their practice to the morning on Sept. 1.
The decision to allow outdoor practices rested with the school’s athletic trainer, Matthew Schneider. By the time Monacan’s football team took the field that Tuesday morning, Schneider hadn’t yet made a call on outdoor practices. By 2 p.m., however, he announced outdoor practices should stop for the remainder of the day.
Akers planned to run the same plan the next day — he initially rescheduled Wednesday’s afternoon practice for the morning.
Then came the blisters.
Sometime that Tuesday, Schneider treated several of Akers’ players for blisters. He later told Hicks that the injuries were limited to players’ hands, but they were serious enough to warrant an injury report to the county’s Risk Management office.
After school that day — two days before the Chiefs’ home opener — Akers and the varsity team gathered in the school’s physical education room. What they discussed remains unclear.
Akers was still coaching when the Chiefs took the field that Thursday, losing 55-33.
By Friday, the Chiefs were 0-2 — and without a head football coach. The circumstances of his removal weren’t covered in emails The Richmonder reviewed. With the season hanging in the balance, none of Akers’ assistants would take his place.
Since he began coaching Monacan in May 2025, Akers built a strong following in the school’s community. After his departure, several parents emailed administrators to voice support for the former coach and described him as a role model.
“He has made a profoundly positive impact on the lives of these student-athletes, teaching them invaluable lessons about character, community and looking out for one another,” one parent wrote.
The scramble
So, perhaps in solidarity, no one would step up to lead the team.
Without a head coach or willing replacement, the Chiefs faced losing more than a few days’ worth of football. Their next scheduled opponent, L.C. Bird, was set to visit Monacan on Sept. 11.
That weekend — Sept. 4 through 6 — high school administrators scrambled to decide their next steps.
The immediate question was whether Monacan could practice, let alone play. Administrators initially considered canceling Monday’s practice and postponing the game against L.C. Bird. But rescheduling proved difficult, and no coaches — including the position coaches — were available to prepare the team for competition.
“I think we should cancel Monday practice - push the Bird game,” Principal Ben Shindler wrote to Hicks. “Send community message tomorrow and brace for impact.”
Administrators began drafting a notification to parents. Because the school had yet to formally announce Akers’ departure from coaching, Shindler sought help from Chesterfield County Public Schools spokesperson Shawn Smith.
After the messaging was finalized, an assistant coach sent a notice canceling the varsity team’s practice. The junior varsity team, however, practiced that Monday — Labor Day. Varsity players were instructed to meet in Room 207 after school Tuesday.
By Tuesday afternoon, the search for a head coach had yielded no resolution. Administrators made it official: Monacan would not play L.C. Bird on Sept. 11.
The aftermath
The canceled game ignited a new wave of frustration and confusion from parents.
Some demanded answers. Others offered to coach. The fallout extended beyond the football team, affecting the school’s dance team, cheerleaders and band, whose members also stood to lose part of their game-day experience.
Parents worried that students — especially seniors — would miss out on what could be a defining part of high school.
With no head coach in place, Hicks began leading after-school conditioning sessions that week. The Chiefs still had a chance to return to the field against James River on Sept. 18.
On Thursday, Sept. 10, administrators met with a handful of team parents to address their concerns.
But the team didn’t wait long to learn its fate.
Later that same Thursday, after the parents’ meeting, it was official: Football was back, and defensive coordinator Dylan Culpen would serve as interim head coach.
The Chiefs returned to competition on the road against James River, where Culpen made his debut. Monacan lost 35-14, but the team returned to the field.
Jonathan Howard
Two weeks later, on Oct. 2, Monacan hosted its homecoming game. Students and parents dressed in white packed the bleachers. The Friday night lights beamed brightly overhead.
Across the field, Richmond High School for the Arts held a one-touchdown lead over the Chiefs.
Before the first half ended, Monacan scored. Then it scored again.
The stands erupted with each touchdown. Students repeatedly rushed the field and waved a massive school flag as Culpen paced the sidelines, speaking into his headset.
The game clock ticked down. The Chiefs held their lead, allowing the Bulldogs just one more touchdown.
After weeks of uncertainty, Monacan notched its first home victory of the season.
The final score: 40-12.
Now, with three games left in the Chiefs’ regular season, there’s been no indication of whether Akers will return to his post. Culpen has maintained his spot at the helm, and Monacan is 2-5.
Contact Eleanor Shaw at eshaw@richmonder.org. She is a Report for America corps member.
