RINGGOLD, Ga. -- Though all that remains of the football stadium is a bent goal post and a recently constructed concession stand, some sense of normalcy returned for the Ringgold football program this week when the Tigers were allowed to work on their practice field Tuesday, the same day school finally started.
Though the field was soaked and muddy following early-week rains, none of the Tigers were complaining.
"It's home to us, so what's to complain about?" senior defensive lineman Chace Orr said.
Ringgold coach Robert Akins has tried to keep the team's schedule as normal as possible since camp broke three weeks ago. Though until this week they've had to travel just to get equipment and practice, the players have kept a positive attitude for one main reason, according to Akins
"It's what we owed the community more than anything," said Akins, whose team hosts Pickens County tonight at the Tigers' temporary home, Finley Stadium. "The tornado was something that displaced us and was horrible, but out of it came opportunities, and we've talked about that. We're more unified and we wanted to go out and show the community that no matter what's happened, you have to rise up. That's kind of been our motto, that we've needed to rise up after the devastation."
Senior Mark Fairbanks said he noticed how close the team had become following last Friday's long bus trip to Murphy, N.C., where the Tigers won easily to improve to 2-0.
"Considering all the travel we've done, wherever we play it's like home," Fairbanks said. "We've come this far, but we've been traveling since the tornado. I really feel no one will have a home advantage over us this year."
Heritage QB game-time decision
There was good news and bad news on the injury front for the Heritage Generals this week. What appeared at first to be a season-ending shoulder injury to quarterback Jake Sampson last week at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe turned out to be an impinged nerve. Coach Tim James said Thursday that his senior is probable for tongiht's game against Murray County.
The bad news out of that same game was the loss of lineman Mitchell Lind to an ACL injury. The Generals also lost running back Ketwun Burns for the season with an injury.
"These things go in cycles, it seems," James said. "On Jake, we thought it was a broken collarbone, but the diagnosis was good and he'll go through pregame workouts and we'll see how he feels. But the injury bug has hit us pretty badly."