Chris Render takes over varsity football program

Ready to set the tone with a new culture and identity, the Boulder City High School football program will be helmed by Chris Render this upcoming season.

Heading into his fifth year with the program, Render served as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator the last three seasons, while serving as the Eagles interim head coach last season in their playoff finale defeat to rival Virgin Valley on Nov. 7.

“I’m excited to call the job mine and remove the interim tag,” Render said. “This is a job I wanted, not only because of the prestige, but because of the potential of what I know this program can become.”

Playing in the highly-competitive 3A classification with rivals Moapa Valley, Pahrump Valley and Virgin Valley, Render took the job with the hopes of restoring the Eagles back to glory, with plans of ending a championship drought that dates back to 1991.

“When I first took the job, I talked with a lot of past alumni in the community,” Render said. “The stories I heard of what the program meant to them and meant to this city were inspiring. In my last four years with the team, dating back to my son (Derek Render) playing, I’ve seen it first-hand. The biggest thing I hope to accomplish is giving the community a team that they can root for and be proud of.”

Off to a hot start, Render and the Eagles will hold a mini camp for the team starting on July 13 with the expectation to open official summer camp on the 27th with possibly up to 60 participants in the program, most likely filling out varsity and junior varsity teams.

Involved with the team all spring, Render has been excited about the participation numbers in the weight room and expects that to translate to success, not only on the field but in the locker room as they try to establish a culture of accountability.

“We’ve been at this since February and the participation numbers have been tremendous,” he said. “I can’t speak enough good things about this dedicated group that wants to get better. To just see the excitement in them and know they’ve bought in has been a great feeling. I think that’s the thing we want to preach the most is buying into the concept of team and being accountable. We want to establish that culture here and set ourselves up for future success.”

With full padded practices and hitting just around the corner come the first of August, the Eagles will get their first look of what this season’s team looks like on Aug. 7 when they host a round-robin scrimmage against 5A Basic and 4A programs Cheyenne and Del Sol.

“We’re excited for this upcoming season,” Render said. “We believe we can be successful and get back to being a playoff team. The offense is going to look a little bit different and we’re going to figure things out with coach Brian Bradshaw calling the plays, but the defense under me will remain the same. Our goal every year remains the same, be competitive and give the town something to be proud of.”