FLORENCE, S.C. – Most would say that football is a game of aggression, but for players at Wilson and Lake City High School’s that’s all left on the field.
“2008 wasn’t a pleasant sight after the game. We decided to get together and make sure we get the kids together prior to the game, so we can soften up the image of the game and still have that competitive edge,” said Gerald Herbert, Athletic Director at Wilson High.
It’s been 7 years since the once rivals have played, due to an on-field incident the last time they met.
However, it’s not just the game that brings these two teams together, but the ones fighting a battle of their own.
“She’s had asthma since she was 2…so she gets admitted a lot. So it’s nice to see her actually look forward to someone coming in the door for once,” said Tammy Giddens, whose daughter Morgan was recently admitted for a fourth stint in the hospital.
“We went in there with the kid, the 9 month old baby she didn’t know what to do. The time we got to help her out, it was great,” laughed Fronishae Wilson, Wilson High football player.
“I just left someone that was 16 so that’s just a year younger than I am,” mentioned Morgan Williams, Wilson High cheerleader.
As the student athletes walked the halls of the McLeod Children’s Hospital, going from room to room, they notice that a single smile can breakdown the fiercest rivalry.
“The battles they face everyday…We don’t know that. Wilson is a big rival, we compete with them but you know that’s only for a game but these kids are battling every day,” said Terrell Fleming, Head Football Coach at Lake City High.
“Just because you go to another school you think that you have to be an enemy. We are trying to teach them that you don’t have to be an enemy, you can be competitive with another school and still have a positive outcome while helping your community,” explained Herbert.
Source: http://www.wbtw.com/story/26241301/lake-city-and-wilson-high-student-athletes-put-rivalry-aside-to-volunteer-together-at-childrens-hospital
