Buford High helmets to feature Apalachee logo in honor of coach killed in school shooting

Buford High (GA) will be repping the logo of fellow Georgia school Apalachee High for their game on Friday evening following the tragic shooting that took place on Thursday.

The shooting claimed the lives of two teachers and two students, as a 14-year-old student brought an assault-style rifle to school and opened fire on his peers and teachers, putting the school with an enrollment of about 1,900 squarely in the national spotlight.

One of the victims was the school’s defensive coordinator, Ricky Aspinwall. Fondly referred to as ‘Coach A’ by his students, Aspinwall was a 39-year-old math teacher at the school.

Check out the video below, shared to X (formerly known as Twitter) by one of Buford’s coaches Brandon Gill, highlighting the special tribute the school will show off on Friday, in honor of Aspinwall and the Apalachee victims.

Wolves reppin’ the Apalachee ‘A’ tonight on the Kelly Green helmets! 🔥🔥🔥

Grateful to be at a place that cares about FAMILY regardless of your colors… Tonight is for YOU @CoachAwall ‼️#ApalacheeStrong #FAMILY #BDA 🟢🐺 pic.twitter.com/WiZFRaHGXP

— Brandon Gill (@Coach_Gill56) September 6, 2024

“Wolves reppin’ the Apalachee ‘A’ tonight on the Kelly Green helmets,” Gill shared to social media. “Grateful to be at a place that cares about FAMILY regardless of your colors… Tonight is for YOU @CoachAwall.”

Evidently, the two coaches were friends off the field, as Gill posted a photo to social media of the duo sharing a smile in light of the news, with a touching tribute to the late Aspinwall.

Unbelievably heart broken over the loss of our dear friend @CoachAwall …. He was truly as great as they come. Helluva human being. Would do anything for anyone.

Amazing husband, father, teacher and coach. I’ll never forget you, brother!

RIP Rick-Bo. 💔 pic.twitter.com/DEfvv6xIAn

— Brandon Gill (@Coach_Gill56) September 4, 2024

“Unbelievably heart broken over the loss of our dear friend @CoachAwall,” Gill wrote. “He was truly as great as they come. Helluva human being. Would do anything for anyone. Amazing husband, father, teacher and coach. I’ll never forget you, brother! RIP Rick-Bo.”

Buford will take on Roswell (GA) tonight at 7:30 p.m. The Hornets are 2-0 on the season, while the Wolves are 1-1. Buford will be playing for more than themselves tonight, as you can see.

Additionally, a GoFundMe page has been created to aid the family of coach Ricky Aspinwall. You can check out the page here, and donate if you so wish at this link. The thoughts and prayers of the football world are with the Aspinwall family, and the Apalachee High area as a whole.

Meanwhile, Colt Gray, the shooter in Thursday’s tragedy, and his father Colin Gray, have both been charged with murder due to the deadly shooting, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced Thursday.

Colin Gray was charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder and eight counts of cruelty to children, the GBI announced, citing that the 54-year-old “knowingly allowed his son to possess a weapon,” with ABC News reporting he gave it to his son as a Christmas present.

As for Colt Gray, the 14-year-old student was charged with four counts of felony murder, with additional charges expected.

On3’s Thomas Goldkamp contributed to this article.