Ringgold rolls in 'home' opener at Finley Stadium

photo Ringgold quarterback Slade Dale, No. 7, throws the ball before LFO's Nate Long, No. 43, can reach him during Friday night's game. Ringgold High School played against Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School at Finley Stadium on Friday evening.

Ringgold could finally put all of its focus on football.

Exactly four months after a tornado destroyed their stadium and ravaged the community, the Tigers beat Lakeview Fort-Oglethorpe 34-10 in their temporary home of Finley Stadium in downtown Chattanooga.

"We're glad to be here and get some sort of normalcy since the season has started," coach Robert Akins said before kickoff. "Our community has seen all the devastation. Now we get to see kids out on the field having fun."

The Tigers have been displaced since April 27 when an EF4-rated tornado turned Don Patterson Field into a pile of rubble as if parts of a concrete track, light towers, the stands and glass were tossed into a blender.

They held spring practices, summer camps and preseason training at various fields in northwest Georgia, including rival Heritage and LFO. Without a fieldhouse, their team bus became a makeshift locker room.

"All the moving around has gotten old at times," senior running back Mark Fairbanks said prior to Friday's memorable opener. "All of this has helped us grow together as a team.

"We have always been close, but we're more of a family now."

Fairbanks scored two touchdowns and helped the Tigers build a 21-0 lead at halftime.

"The whole town of Ringgold showed up and it felt really good to play for them and win for them," Akins said. "Our kids had the expectation of making them proud."

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