The deadly and devastating flooding that’s occurred in Eastern Kentucky in recent weeks has affected nearly all areas of life in the mountains, including one of the region’s proudest traditions: high school football.
Schools across Kentucky are set to begin the 2022 KHSAA football season later this month, but preseason activities will look different for several Eastern Kentucky schools as they attempt to get ready for the season while also overseeing relief efforts from a major natural disaster.
“It’s going to take months (to recover),” said Floyd Central High School head coach Shawn Hager. “We need to try to keep things as normal as we can for these kids so they don’t get depressed.”
Located in Eastern and only opened in 2017 (after the consolidation of Allen Central and South Floyd), Hager said the school itself sits on a hill and avoided damage from the severe weather because it doesn’t sit in a flood zone.
But members of his team and the surrounding area were still affected.
“We have one football player that lost everything, matter of fact they had to swim out their back door in order to get to safety,” Hager said. “In Wayland and Garrett, Estill Bottom, Maytown, they lost everything. I mean, it was really really bad.”
Since Saturday, Hager said members of the Floyd Central team have helped clear 18 houses and unloaded two trailers of relief supplies.
This has been the routine of recent days for the Jaguars: Meet at 8:30 a.m., spend mornings in the community helping with storm relief efforts and practicing in the evenings.
The storms caused Floyd Central to miss three days of practice last week, but the Jaguars are still on track to play a scrimmage this Saturday night at home against East Carter and their season opener Aug. 19 at home against Paintsville.
The same can’t be said for the start of the school year in the Floyd County district.
Floyd County Public Schools postponed the first day of classes by two weeks from Aug. 10 to Aug. 24 due to the flooding.
EKU to house two high school football teams
Despite being only a month away from its season opener, the Eastern Kentucky University football team is housing a pair of high school teams this week to aid their preparation for the new season.
From Wednesday through Friday, the Hazard High School football team was to be staying at EKU in Richmond and using the school’s cafeteria, dorms and football facilities free of charge.
The Breathitt County High School football team — which had its facilities significantly damaged by flooding — will get the same treatment from Sunday through Tuesday.
“It’s just what Eastern Kentucky people do for each other,” Hazard head coach Dan Howard said. “It’s good for our boys to kind of get away right now with everything going on.”
Howard said a lot of children served by the Hazard school district still don’t have electricity or water.
A former elementary school principal, Howard said school is supposed to start Aug. 11, and that remains on schedule.
Hazard is also on track to open its high school football season Aug. 19 at home against Middlesboro.
Kentucky schools pull together
Howard’s Hazard team is supposed to play at Breathitt County on Sept. 2, and the Bobcats program has been front of mind for many people across the state given the damage done to their football facilities by the flood.
“They basically lost everything,” Howard said.
Lexington Christian Academy spent time in Breathitt County last weekend, helping clean and recover Breathitt County team equipment and memorabilia. Those items are expected to be returned to Breathitt County in Richmond.
Another Breathitt County opponent for this upcoming season is also looking to help the program recover.
Magoffin County is scheduled to open the season Aug. 19 at Breathitt County, but right now the focus for Magoffin County head coach John Derossett is obtaining and delivering supplies for that area.
The Magoffin County program is aiming to fill an equipment trailer this week with needed supplies before driving it to Breathitt County on Saturday morning.
Among the supplies sought are T-shirts, bottled water, toiletries, squeegees, cleaning supplies, building supplies and items for infants like diapers and baby formula.
Other actions taken to help the Breathitt County program include the Pikeville High School football program sending a new pair of cleats to Breathitt County for each of its players, and the gate receipts from a scrimmage between West Carter and Greenup County on Friday night being donated to Breathitt County.
Former Breathitt County quarterback Justin Haddix — who won a state title at the school and is now the head coach at Boyle County — is also gathering supplies to take to Breathitt County.
During a press conference Wednesday as part of Kentucky football Media Day, UK head coach Mark Stoops said he spoke to Breathitt County head coach Kyle Moore.
“I talked to Coach Moore and extended our condolences and offered up our services. We’re collecting as many things as we can that we’re permitted to donate through football because their locker room was destroyed and all the things there,” Stoops said. “Certainly I saw certain clips of that, of their locker room and them digging themselves out of that, cleaning themselves up. I just wanted him to know that we’re here to help him and support him and donate things as we can.”
How to donate to Eastern Kentucky flood relief
Donations can be made to the Kentucky flood relief effort here and checks can be mailed to:
American Red Cross Bluegrass Chapter, Attn: Kentucky Floods, 1450 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511.
