Ruidoso Football Team Playing For Something Bigger
“It was a shock at first and we didn’t know up from down,” is the way Ruidoso High School football coach Greg Crow describes the initial feeling when a huge fire began to engulf his community. The South Fork and Salt Fires ravaged over 25,000 acres of the Ruidoso area and destroyed over 1400 buildings this summer.
The entire town was evacuated as many families scrambled for safety while firefighters battled the blaze for days and days. “The fire crews stayed at our school, so we got kicked off our campus for a little bit,” said Crow.
Since returning, the Warriors’ football team is playing with a bigger sense of purpose. “When we came back, there was a little different feeling,” said Crow. “Our town has been through a hard time, but even if we can give them a little glimmer of hope and love and send a sense of belonging, that’s what we’re here for. That’s what we work every day for.”
The Ruidoso community is still dealing with flood alerts and fire cleanup. During the emergency, many of the football players helped fill sandbags and they went through debris to assist in the cleanup. “They helped find items that were lost,” Crow explained. “They were wading through mud and sometimes just going up and giving someone a hug that just lost everything. It teaches some things that you don’t expect kids to go through and they stood up to the task.”
Teachers, coaches, and players have been displaced. “Every day we talk about how this is just more than us,” said Crow. “We are proud of our town. We have a little something extra to play for.”
Most of the community was evacuated for a week, some longer. The football team wasn’t allowed back on campus for about a month, missing many hours of practice time and preparation for the upcoming season. “When we returned, it was back to basics and working our way back into shape and then things started clicking really well,” said their head coach.
The Warriors return most of their roster from last season. Crow expects his returning seniors to help carry the load on the field. “Trenton Hall is our warrior, he’s going to play safety and he’s going to play running back, he may even take a couple snaps here or there,” said Crow. “Abel Luna on the line is the heart and soul of our team. He fires everyone up in the weightroom and gets after it on the field. I’m hoping Mason Zabel is going to be the best 3A corner in the state, he’s tough and physical and does things right.”
“These kids are going to play their hearts out because of what this town’s been through,” said Crow. “We talk about it every day. We want to be that little spark of hope for a town, community, and individuals that have been devastated. If we can find a rallying point for them, maybe we can do something special this year.”
Ruidoso High School will open the football season on the road at Eunice on August 23rd. The first home game of the season is August 30th against Tularosa.
