The varsity football team will kick off their 2023 season with new head coach David Lee.

Former head coach Shaun Gehres relinquished his role after coaching for four years. Gehres said that he will stay at Albuquerque Academy and is stepping down because he wants to spend more time with his family.

“There were some things in my personal and professional life that I wanted to focus on,” said Gehres. “I thought this was an opportunity for me to pursue some other things.”

Gehres had a great career along the gridiron, developing a strong Chargers football program. He built a fierce football squad and led his team into the playoffs his last two years. Gehres stated that he is really excited about where the football program is and where he’s leaving it. He enjoyed seeing his players every day excited to play football and is thrilled for the team’s future.

“I feel like there is a really strong group of older players that have now been in the program for three years who are ready to take on a bigger leadership role. But I’m really excited about our younger group that I can really see blossoming in the next three or four years.”

Gehres was more than just a coach. He was personable, a leader who cared about his players and showed a tremendous interest in their development and successes on and off the field.

Incoming head coach Lee has plenty of experience, coaching football for 22 years. He began coaching in the Young American Football League (YAFL) in New Mexico, and then coached competitive high school football for about 10 years. He was the defensive coordinator at Hope Christian High School for six years, where he led his team to a state title. His aggressive defensive formations were a testament to Hope’s success. Lee has also served as the defensive coordinator for the Chargers for the past three seasons.

Coach Lee spoke about what coaching at Academy means to him and his approach to his new head coaching role.

“To me, coaching at Academy is about bonding with the players. Football is one of those sports that bring [out] all the good in you or all the bad. There is a roller coaster of emotions. Football forces people out of their shells and brings something out of you as a person – physically, mentally and emotionally. I love that the players go through those different emotions, and I get to help them.”

Lee also talked about what he plans to do for a successful season at Academy.

“Cleaning up the deficiencies from the years before. We’ve made some new changes in the coaching staff. We just got a new offensive coordinator, who I worked with at Hope.”

We at The Advocate hope Coach Lee has a great first season. Go Chargers!