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From the Desk of GISD Superintendent Don Jackson

Grapeland Texas, The Grapeland Messenger

Special to The Messenger

Friday night, Nov. 17, our Sandie Football team showed resilience. They faced a bigger and stronger team in Evadale, but they kept fighting. We fell behind by 14 points, but I saw a different kind of fighting spirit. I saw players sacrificing their bodies and forgetting about themselves and doing anything they could for the sake of the team. They fought back before half and tied the game up.

They second half started and Evadale began to dominate. They were doing what they did well and we struggled to stop them. We went down by 13 points. I wondered if and how we would respond.

Then, something wonderful happened. I saw a culture change. I saw coaches motivating their players. I saw players motivating each other. I saw players who were not playing rooting for players who were. I saw the cheerleaders and band members raise their intensity. I saw the student body and parents get behind their team and passionately display their support for our team.

Then, we all learned a great lesson. The wind was strong that night and truly affected the accuracy of our passing game. Not only that, but it seemed as if the officiating crew dropped the ball on a few calls, but our Sandies did not give up. The lesson we all were reminded of was despite your odds and opposition, just keep matriculating down the field of life and get yourself in position to be successful.

Well, that’s what we did. One of our receivers came back from injury although he was not 100 percent.  Our pin-point passing quarterback struggled with the wind, but when it counted, he delivered. A freshman who had never caught a touchdown pass, caught a pass to tie up the game. A kicker came in who had never made an extra point and made the game winning extra point. Our defense struggled with the sheer size of their opponent. They bent, but they did not break. All of these overcoming factors allowed us to get in position to be successful.

In conclusion, the wind that been in our face, in the end was at our back and Evadale came up short.

This leads me to say to our Sandie Nation, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you are or how big your opponent is. We must display this fighting spirit each and every day. Whether you are in the classroom, on the court or on the field, or have graduated and have gone on to a college or career opportunity, our Sandie Pride must never die. We must deal with the present first and foremost, living life to the fullest and it will set us up for success in the future. We must concentrate on now, before we are concerned with what is next.

Happy Thanksgiving to our awesome students, our committed staff and supportive parents. Let’s continue to come together, work together and stay together as we look forward to turning obstacles into opportunities. #SPND

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