As the early afternoon sun began to radiate off Bowers and Painter Field, Craig and Braylon Pritchett exited Ridgeland High School’s football fieldhouse and started chatting as they walked across the turf.
It’s a scene the two have shared hundreds of times over the last decade: father and son spending time on an athletic field, comfortable in each other’s company and sharing a bond made stronger through the triumphs and struggles of sports.
These moments, however, are going to become less and less common as Braylon heads to the University of Georgia in a few weeks to study graphic design. It’s an exciting time, but as with any parent about to see a child leave home, it’s bittersweet for the Pritchetts.
For Craig, the school’s head football coach, the difficulty of letting go is tempered by the realization his son will make wherever he ends up a better place.
“As parents, you hope to raise someone who understands the work ethic and in putting others first,” he said. “Just to listen to other teachers, parents, coaches and players and the impact Braylon’s been able to have just gets you excited about him moving forward.