Apalachee high football returns to practice after deadly school shooting

Four died in Sept. 4 attack, including the team's defensive coordinator Ricky Aspinwall

The Apalachee (Georgia) football team has returned to practice for the first time since a deadly shooting at the school on Sept. 4. / Apalachee Football

The deadly shooting at Apalachee High School which claimed four lives on Sept. 4, including assistant football coach and teacher Ricky Aspinwall, will never be far from the minds of the students and faculty that survived that horrible day.

For the school's football team, however, a major step towards healing and a return to a normal school life, took place this week as the Wildcats returned to the practice field. The team began two-hour daily practices, getting underway at 6:30 a.m. each day, since Monday.

The team must go through a one week reacclimation period before they can practice in pads, ruling out any possibility of playing a game this week. The team hopes to return to game competition next week, but plans to be patient about its return to action.

“The message now is just about being around your teammates and healing together, running routes and talking football,’’ coach Mike Hancock said to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “We’ve still got kids and coaches grieving. That’s how we heal. We heal together.’’

Not every player has returned to practice as some continue to process the events of early September, but Hancock said they will be welcomed back with open arms if and when they choose to return.

The Wildcats opened their season with three straight losses, but that mattered little when a student gunmen killed Aspinwall, fellow teacher Cristine Irimie and two 14-year old students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, while injuring nine others.

Since the shooting, games with Monroe Area and Winder-Barrow were cancelled, as was this week's scheduled contest with Loganville. The team's next game, after this week, is scheduled for Sept. 27 at Clarke Central. With Apalachee students returning to classes on Sept. 24, playing a football game the same week would be helpful in the healing process.

Last Friday, team members were invited to the Atlanta Falcons Flowery Branch practice facilty by Falcons' head coach Raheem Morris. This came after the Falcons showed solidarity with the school be wearing Apalachee Wildcats t-shirts during pregame warmups prior to their season opening game.

“They got to see their heroes,” Hancock said of the outing to the AJC. “And it was genuine. It wasn’t a PR stunt. The Falcons didn’t tell anybody. Our players didn’t know they were going. The Falcons’ players put their arms around our players and spent time with our kids. You could hear them coaching up our kids if they had a question. Coach Morris is a very genuine person and a class act.”