Trojans try to focus on football, not tragedy

The sights and sounds were normal.

Whistles blew, coaches scolded, players said, “Yes, sir,” and soon enough conditioning, normal drills and the booming voices of some assistant coaches echoing off of the back of the fieldhouse, made it a regular Monday practice.

But practice Monday at Peach County was unlike any other practice the Trojans have undertaken. Four teammates weren’t with them. One was dead, another remained in a Macon hospital having undergone another surgery, and two more were recovering.

It was the first day of school at Peach County since a car accident Saturday night took the life of senior Raekwon Smith, critically injured Randolph Williams and banged up Eric Robinson and E’Juan McKeller.

Peach County head coach Chad Campbell is taking the tragedy head on. He’s not allowing the players to talk about Saturday night’s tragedy, but they can talk about Friday’s home game against Houston County, the top-ranked team in GHSA Class 6A.

“I’m going to handle all that,” said Campbell, beginning his 10th season as the head coach at Peach County. “They need to concentrate on this Friday. I can handle all the other distractions.”

And perhaps never has practice been more welcomed.

“They gotta be a kid,” Campbell said. “They gotta do something they love to do, and that’s be around their teammates and practice football and be around coaches and people that care about them.”

The four players had just left the Trojans’ annual senior get-together, at a pool in Byron. Campbell said about 15 minutes after they departed, his phone rang.

Word of the tragedy hit social media within an hour, and the outpouring of condolences and support began immediately. By Sunday afternoon, students from area schools encouraged their classmates to wear white to class Monday in support of Peach County and in memory of Smith.

“It’s tough, tough and hard for everybody,” Campbell said. “Everybody involved.”

Several hundred students gathered at the school Sunday evening in a ceremony that included a balloon release, many students talking about Smith and his good-natured, easy-going personality.

Another crowd filled a portion of the home stands Monday night at Anderson Stadium for a more community-oriented assembly that included some speakers. The players filed together and sat in the middle of the stands, having finished practice about 30 minutes earlier.

Campbell said the encouragement and comfort have been overwhelming, for the school, community and team.

“The outpouring of support from them has been great,” Campbell said. “It’s a sad time, but during those sad times, you hope to make something good come out of it.”

Campbell said he has never had to deal with such a situation, as a player or coach. But his personal and school cell phones have been busy.

One caller was Maurice Freeman, the head coach at Brooks County and former head coach at Southwest. Unfortunately, Freeman could relate to Peach County’s situation. In the summer of 2013, three Brooks County players were killed and one injured in an accident when they were driving to a morning workout.

“He reached out to me Saturday,” Campbell said. “And he’s been texting, called me (Monday) morning.

“Everybody’s just been so supportive, from college coaches texting to coaches around the state. It’s been heartfelt, very uplifting to me and the football program, this community.”

About 20 miles away, Houston County practiced at the same time, preparing for the trip to Peach County, well aware of what the Trojans are going through. Houston County was among the schools pushing to wear white Monday.

“It’s really heartbreaking,” Houston County senior linebacker Mack McCullough said. “You think about how it’s going to affect that team. You imagine it happening here, and it really makes you think. What would we do if we were in that situation?”

Offensive lineman Tucker Coody saw the news on social media Saturday night.

“My heart started hurting immediately,” he said. “I can’t imagine a loss like that. My prayers just to go out to them.

“We’re separated by teams, but they’re so close, it’s like they’re kind of family. I don’t really know anyone, but I still feel for them. Everybody that plays football is like my brother.”

This story was originally published August 22, 2016 at 8:56 PM with the headline "Trojans try to focus on football, not tragedy."