Apalachee High School varsity football team seniors link arms ahead of kickoff in their game against Clarke Central High School in Billy Henderson Stadium on Sept. 28. CCHS held a moment of silence to commemorate the victims of the deadly Apalachee school shooting prior to kickoff. “I think just to get out on the field today, that’s what we hope for: just to get our seniors playing again,” Apalachee High School head varsity football coach Mike Hancock said. Photo by Wyatt Meyer
The CCHS varsity football team beat Apalachee High School 48-21 in an emotionally-charged Region 8-AAAAA game on Sept. 28 in Billy Henderson Stadium.
When the Apalachee High School varsity football team traveled to play the Clarke Central High School Gladiators on Sept. 28, they did so with heavy hearts.
It had been more than three weeks since defensive coordinator Ricky Aspinwall and three others were killed in a school shooting on Sept. 4, more than three weeks since Barrow County schools were shut down, and more than three weeks since the football team, band and cheerleaders last saw a snap of competitive football.
“It’s going to be a long year. It’s hard for (students) to step back in that school,” Joe Hutchins, grandfather of Apalachee cheerleader Emily Hutchins, said. “They were there (during the shooting), and nobody else knows how that feels except them.”
With a month’s worth of rust to shake off exacerbated by the game’s rescheduling on Saturday due to Hurricane Helene, the odds were stacked against the Wildcats.
And yet, if only for a quarter, it looked like Apalachee would have their storybook ending.
The Apalachee High School varsity football team celebrates senior wide receiver Jaydon Brown’s sprawling catch in the first quarter of their game at Clarke Central High School. Brown’s catch put the Wildcats in position to score the first touchdown of the game. Photo by Wyatt Meyer
After a moment of silence to honor the victims of the shooting, the Wildcats drove down the field to score a touchdown on their first possession, highlighted by a diving, over-the-shoulder catch from wide receiver Jaydon Brown, a senior. When the Apalachee defense forced the Gladiators into a missed field goal on their first drive, CCHS head varsity football coach David Perno knew his team had a game on their hands.
Apalachee High School punter Austin Pyle looks out onto the field during the second quarter of the Wildcats’ 48-21 loss to the Gladiators. Special teams mistakes set the Wildcats back throughout the game, as a five-yard Pyle punt and a pair of bad snaps on punts gave the Gladiators strong field position during the second and third quarters. Photo by Wyatt Meyer
“Apalachee coming out, I knew they were gonna be really excited to play,” Perno said. “They came right down the gate, took it down the field, and we missed a field goal (on) our first drive. I knew early, there was gonna be a lot of emotion and they were gonna do some special things.”
In the second quarter, however, the Gladiators turned the tables. Touchdown runs from running back Corey Watkins Jr. and quarterback Hezekiah Millender, seniors, either side of an Apalachee safety put the Gladiators up 16-7. A Millender pass to tight end Xayvian Berry, a senior, left CCHS up 23-7 at the half.
“We knew (winning) was never (about) them. We knew it was always about us, and long as we do what we do, we can win the game,” Watkins said.
There would be no comeback for the Wildcats after the break. Millender threw two more touchdown passes at the start of the third quarter, and though Apalachee managed to get into the end zone thereafter, CCHS cruised the rest of the way, eventually winning 48-21.
“We got to see some things we got to clean up and work on – I don’t think we did a very good job of stopping the run,” Perno said. “Now, we can make some adjustments and get ready to play a good Habersham (Central High School football) team.”
Clarke Central High School running back Corey Watkins Jr., a senior, runs the ball in the third quarter of the Gladiators’ 48-21 victory over the Wildcats. Watkins scored two touchdowns – one on the ground, one through the air. Photo by Wyatt Meyer
Though the result put the Gladiators at 2-0 in Region 8-AAAAA play and in position to qualify for the playoffs, the broader context of the game was more important to CCHS Athletic Director Dr. Jon Ward. Around the stadium, signs of support were hung and the CCHS athletic department chose to donate all gate proceeds to Apalachee.
“The magnitude of what their school and school community is going through kind of put the ballgame itself in perspective (as) far less significant. It was more important to give them a sense of normalcy, of a high school event,” Ward said. “We were happy to be a part of it.”
“(Apalachee) came right down the gate, took it down the field, and we missed a field goal (on) our first drive. I knew early, there was gonna be a lot of emotion and they were gonna do some special things.”
— David Perno,
CCHS head varsity football coach
Now 0-4 on the season, Apalachee will host Jackson County High School on Oct. 4. In the face of tragedy, the most important thing to Apalachee head varsity football coach Mike Hancock is continuing to show up.
“Everything now is for Coach Aspinwall and all the other victims,” Hancock said. “That’s how we wanna honor them: by getting out on the field and playing football.”
