Gridiron Foes Help Clean Up Flooded Breathitt County Football Facilities

As more tragic news surfaces from the Eastern Kentucky floods, each day it’s met with equally heartwarming stories from relief efforts. Kentuckians are pitching in across the Commonwealth, from Freddie Maggard in Woodford County to John Calipari at Rupp Arena. This week one high school team set aside gridiron differences to lend a helping hand.

Breathitt County High School’s football facilities were consumed by the deluge. When the waters receded, the locker rooms were completely covered in mud. Rather than offer kind words, another Class 2A foe, Lexington Christian Academy, made the drive to Eastern Kentucky to lend a hand.

“I was raised that when you see you a need, you see a person in need, you do everything you can to try to help,” LCA head coach Doug Charles told Fox-56. “Everybody thinks we’re these bitter rivals, but the (high school football) fraternity is really strong.”

More than 30 coaches, players and parents spent their Sunday afternoon helping the Bobcats clean up their facilities. The locker rooms were cleared out and the equipment was hauled back to Lexington where every piece of salvageable football equipments was cleaned. They power washed pads and polished old trophies. Recovery efforts are far from complete, but the Breathitt County Bobcats are one step closer to returning to normalcy with football beneath the Friday Night Lights.