Historic Texas football stadium hosts season opener after flooding concerns
(Photo via statesman.com)
The game didn’t end the way they hoped, but the fact they got to play the game at all on their beloved home turf was more than enough for Anderson High School football players in Austin, Texas.
The host Trojans lost the Taco Shack Bowl on Thursday night to neighboring rival McCallum, 48-28 in the season opener for both teams, but there were serious doubts they’d get to play the game at all, given the torrential rain that’s fallen in Austin and other areas of Texas during the past week.
Anderson shares House Park, the Taco Shack Bowl site, with a couple of other schools, Austin and Bowie. They teamed up to fill sandbags last Friday, along with parents, Pop Warner football players, and cheerleaders, in an effort to keep the 78-year-old facility from flooding. Shoal Creek, which runs past House Park, has flooded in years past and damaged the facility’s fencing and turf.
While Austin didn’t receive near the rainfall amounts that Houston did, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport registered just over 10 inches of rain from Harvey, more than enough to flood several areas.
ICYMI: Here's a short summary of the peak winds & highest observed rain totals from #Harvey.
— NWS San Antonio (@NWSSanAntonio) August 29, 2017
For a full listing: https://t.co/4vep1s1DY4 pic.twitter.com/omNlaa5C60
The community wasn’t done showing its goodwill after the volunteers filled the sandbags. According to Cuatro Groos, the Anderson Football Booster Club president, the Austin Independent School District converted area high school gyms into shelters and housed more than 1,000 people. Those evacuees got wristbands that allowed them admittance to Thursday’s game.
Groos said Leal Anderson, Austin Independent School District athletics director, summed up everyone’s thoughts on the hectic week. “We need a little bit of normalcy. We need high school football right now.”
Groos also credited House Park facilities manager Lou Mora. “He worked more than 24 hours straight at both House Park and the shelters in the run-up to Thursday night’s game,” Groos said. “(Mora and Anderson) are a shining example of compassion and commitment to helping those in need.”