PILOT MOUNTAIN — The Cardinals shattered records, conquered the unconquerable, won the conference championship in convincing fashion and proved doubters wrong en route to the school’s first 1AA State Championship in 2019.
The championship high continued in the postseason as East Surry players racked up individual honors statewide and, at the time of writing, six Cardinals have signed to play college football. Another handful already have offers on the table.
The cherry on top of fairy tale season was a highly anticipated event that not only honored players and coaches of the red and white, but one that featured the entire Cardinal Community: the presentation of State Championship rings.
The East Surry coaching staff pulled out all the stops in planning a celebration that lived up to the excitement of the 2019 season. The ceremony planned for March 24 would see the players interacting with the entire community as well as honor the individuals and businesses that played a crucial role in East Surry’s journey.
A March 2 tweet from East Surry Football’s account (@ES_CardinalsFB) stated: “State Championship Rings are coming in! There will be a ceremony to present the rings to the team on Tuesday, March 24th! All of the community & school are welcome to come & meet our players and take part in this celebration & display of gratitude!”
Then COVID-19 happened.
The pandemic affecting the entire world caused schools to be closed, athletics to be suspended and any and all public gatherings to be cancelled in an effort to flatten the curve.
“When school and everything got cancelled until early April, obviously knew we weren’t going to do it on the 24th,” said East Surry coach Trent Lowman. “We really wanted to recognize the kids and the people that helped us, but that didn’t need to happen right now. Those things are not as important as what’s going on in our nation.”
That said, Lowman said he and the coaches brainstormed different ways in which to present the rings to the players. Unsure of how to honor the players while also staying safe, the coaches found inspiration elsewhere in the school system.
Surry County Schools, like other school systems across the state, still provided students with meals and Chromebooks via alternative methods such as drive-through and delivery. Lowman said this inspired the coaching staff to execute a similar plan.
Lowman released a statement on Wednesday, March 25, that included the following:
“While it’s unfortunate that we will not host this event as planned, we understand and are acutely aware of the crisis that our country, state, and community is facing. As Head Coach, I believe it’s important that we proceed with rewarding our players that made it all possible, in the best way that we can. With that said, I am excited to announce that our state championship rings are here and ready to go!”
The coaches then announced that players would be available to pick up rings the next day. The coaches would set up a drive-through station at the school and handed out rings from 9:00am to 10:30am, allowing different classes to come through at different times.
The coaches wanted to make the best of a bad situation, and that’s exactly what they did.
“Seeing the reaction on the kids’ faces, that’s what was important anyway,” Lowman said.
Lowman, Randy Marion, Darrin Haywood, Rusty Slate, Steve Whitt and David Johnson had a tent sent up the student parking lot. The coaches, draped head to toe in championship attire, sported gloves and remained distant enough from one another as well as the cars lined up early in the morning.
One by one, players drove up to the school for the first time in weeks where coaches waited with giant smiles. The student-athletes were given a ring and championship merchandise as coaches reinforced three things: stay safe, keep the ring safe and keep exercising at home.
“Social interaction and human interaction are things that we take for granted,” Lowman said. “To be there with those coaches Thursday as well as the time we put in to win that championship was special. Just being around them and seeing the kids’ faces was refreshing.”
Lowman stressed that the coaching staff still wanted to have one more big celebration for the community, but said he doesn’t know when it will even be possible. If schools and businesses remain closed in the coming months, Lowman said some of the guys may already be moved into college for summer workouts.
Even with the celebration still on his mind, Lowman said the coaches are going to focus on the things they can control. Hours after presenting 2019 state championship rings, Lowman hosted a Google Hangout with returning players to discuss preparations for the 2020 season.
In his statement released Wednesday, Lowman said:
“I have never been more excited to be a part of the Cardinal community that I am today. To see our families and community members come together has been remarkable. I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve alongside you to ensure that our students are being bed and that their basic needs are met during this unprecedented time. These are uncharted waters that we’re navigating through together. In a time of questions and for some, sadness, I challenge you to seek opportunities that bring joy to you and especially to others.”
.neFileBlock {
margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
padding-bottom: 5px;
padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
font-size: 85%;
}
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
Be First to Comment