This past May, Joplin, MO. had a devastating tornado go through the heart of town, destroying everything in its path. There has been a constant cleanup effort ever since.

The football team took its team trip down to Joplin after its last week of camp on July 29 through 31.

“The team went to help the community,” said Head Coach Todd Berck. “Specifically, [the team helped] the [Joplin] school district clean up and get ready for the new school year after the devastating tornado in May.”

The team helped move school supplies to the schools from warehouses, also they helped clean debris like shingles, wood and fencing home sites. The team also took part in a fundraiser that raised $13,000 dollars for the school district.

The entire area was in ruins after the tornado. Everything was gone or destroyed, homes missing, a few trees and buildings in ruble.

“Imagine the entire FHC attendance area wiped out completely,” said Coach Berck. “[There were] no homes, very few trees, and cars that looked like that had been wadded up like a piece of paper. It was incredible to see the power of this natural disaster.”

Offensive and defensive lineman Joe McDevitt described the devastation at the high school.

“Half of the school was gone, all that was left was the two ends, the middle was just rubble,” McDevitt said.

At the end of the weekend, when it was time to come back home, the entire team all wanted to stay and help some more.

“I believe we made a small impact,” said senior Devon Goodman. “But I wish we could have stayed and done more.”

The team enjoyed giving back to the community, and they formed tighter bonds by working side by side to help people who were less fortunate that they were.

“I really think the boys enjoyed giving back to others,” said Coach Berck, “We worked hard, shared a lot of laughs, stayed up way too late, and bonded as a team”