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Paul Guadette Editor
I’m the first to admit I’m a recent convert to football.
As Coach Bob Cervetto points out to most of the other coaches or staff when introducing me, I was more into One Act Plays and artistic things like that in high school. ‘But we converted him!,’ he will add.
There were probably seven or eight football games I attended in high school.
So when my girlfriend, Wyndi, drove into town to help me prepare for a party and accompany me to the game, she became my first ‘Homecoming date’ I had... at 37 years old.
I spent the first half of the game on the sidelines among the players as I took pictures of the action.
When half-time came up, I went up to the stand to sit with her and friends and grab some overhead pictures.
That was where I was sitting when No. 12 Colton Moore was taken down and didn’t get up.
I’m always concerned in those moments, but when the seconds stretched to minutes, I was praying for the family who I recognized since Lindsay has been my mom’s stylist for more than 10 years.
The stadium seemed completely silent as he was checked out and social media immediately lit up with prayer requests for the Junior.
The applause echoed as he waved from the stretcher as he was taken off field so he could be taken by helicopter to JPS in Fort Worth.
The game resumed slowly but it was obvious that everyone (both off and on the field) was concerned about Colton. (Everyone was able to let out a collective sigh of relief the next morning when Lindsay reported “it was a bad sting” and that the MRIs all came b a c k showing no problems.)
I could feel the community together in the stadium Friday night and Wyndi said the same thing.
I think that was what I failed to understand about team sports in high school.
The coaches, staff, teammates and fans all genuinely care about the players, wanting to celebrate the triumphs and offer support during challenging moments.
I was always proud to be a Dublin High School graduate but now I’m a DHS fan.
Gaudette is the managing editor at the Dublin Citizen and can be reached at 445-2515 and publisher@dublincitizen.com.