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Harvey could be putting some Texas teams’ seasons in jeopardy

By Annmarie Toler | Posted 8/30/2017

As Tropical Storm Harvey reaches landfall for a second time, the Houston area is still struggling with the initial destruction, and several Houston-area high school football teams’ entire seasons are in jeopardy as a result.

More than 100 Texas high school football games have been canceled and there are questions on whether or not team's entire seasons will be affected.

Rockport-Fulton (Rockport, Texas), Aransas Pass (Aransas Pass, Texas), and Ingleside High School (Ingleside, TX) have suspended their seasons, and it’s unknown when they’ll be able to play, USA Today High School Sports reported.

 

“People say athletics is not important and right now it’s not in the big picture but it’s very important for our kids to get back to normalcy, to what’s normal to them,” Aransas Pass coach Jay Seibert said from his cell phone on Sunday to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.

MaxPreps reported that The University Interscholastic League of Texas would allow an exception to rules for schools impacted by Harvey. Mandatory days between a scrimmage and a game would be reduced from five to four for varsity teams. Scrimmages are allowed until a team plays its first game.

RELATED: Harvey forces Texas high school football cancellations

The NFL also announced that the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans preseason game that was set to take place Thursday as been canceled. This will allow the Texans to return home to Houston.

The Dallas Morning News is reporting that fans that bought tickets for the preseason game can receive refunds or choose to have the money donated to relief funds.

While the Texans have been relocated to Dallas this week because of the storm many of their players took to social media to show their support for their city and encourage fans to donate to relief funds.

RELATED: Football community comes together to raise money for Hurricane Harvey relief funds

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has been among the most prominent players.

Watt set a goal to raise $200,000 initially, but donors quickly surpassed that total, allowing Watt to raise more than $6 million as of midday Wednesday. He has taken to social media regularly this week showing his support and thanking those who have donated. He’s been setting a new goal every time donors reach the most recent one. 

Watt is now aiming to raise $10 million. 

Watt, along with the rest of the NFL community, has taken to social media to show their support and raise money for those affected by Harvey.

 

Hurricane Harvey first made landfall in southeast Texas on Friday, brought more than 11 trillion gallons of rain. This caused tremendous flooding, forcing residents from their homes.

Harvey was downgraded to a tropical storm the next day, but the rain continued to fall, causing floodwaters to rise.

The storm then stalled over the southeast Texas, as wind and rain pounded the region for five days.

Harvey eventually made its way back into the Gulf of Mexico, but southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana prepared for Harvey to make landfall again.

Tropical Storm Harvey made its second landfall early Wednesday morning. This time Harvey has landed on the Texas-Louisiana border, submerging the city of Port Arthur, Texas.

Over the last few days, this region of the country has experienced “one of the largest disasters America has ever faced,” Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, told CNN. 

At least 30 people have been confirmed dead reported the New York Times, in relation to Hurricane Harvey. Among those confirmed reports is Ruben Jordan.

Jordan, a former Tyler resident and John Tyler High School football player, coached football at Clear Creek (League City, Texas). The Friendswood, Texas Police Department confirmed Jordan's death Tuesday, according to the Tyler Morning Telegraph.

You can help support those affect by Hurricane Harvey by donating to Houston Flood Relief Fund, American Red Cross, or texting HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

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