After earning Massachusetts All-State honors in both football and wrestling in high school, Kris Kahila attended Ferrum College in Franklin County, Virginia and was a member of the junior college national champion in football. He then earned all-state honors at Emory & Henry College before graduating and being appointed the head wrestling coach at Franklin County High School. 

During his tenure, he led his teams to 13 Big Orange Tournament titles, 16 consecutive district championships, and eight regional titles. In 28 years, he coached five individual state champions and numerous state place-winners while leading the team to two runner-up finishes and five top five finishes at the state tournament. Kahila retired in 2003 with 329 career victories, which ranks him among the elite coaches in Virginia high school wrestling history. 

The pride and integrity Kahila instilled in a struggling program helped turn it into one of the best in the state. That pride and integrity still exists today at Franklin. His legacy is preserved and ensured by the hundreds of young men who look upon him as a coach, a friend, and a father.