Arthur Hawkins watches the game.
Roanoke Rapids had plenty to fight for Friday night, a huge group of fans who packed the opposing stands and lined the gates, an unexpected moment of silence for officer John Taylor, who was injured in a shooting Wednesday, and a 1970 graduate who flew in from Georgia to give the Jackets motivation.
It wasn’t to be as parts of the game plan worked but the unexpected turnovers kept plaguing the Jackets throughout the night.
Arthur Ray Hawkins was the special guest and flew in Friday and was scheduled to fly out today. He used the paratroopers motto — All the way and then some — and stories of David to inspire the boys. “I would have walked down here if I had to,” said the 58-year-old Hawkins, who played under coaches Hoyle and Wilson, at the time the only black player on the team.
“It got me so pumped up I wanted to play,” said Kevin Hawkins, a Roanoke Rapids firefighter who assists the coaches at every game.
Arthur Hawkins said he would tell the boys should they have won, “You’re playing for something bigger and always represent what the word of God says.”
However, Friday, the Jackets lost, 35-14. “They had a great season and fought hard,” Arthur Hawkins said his message would be. “Now you’ve got to plan to move to the next phase and never lose sight of the faith you have.”
Arthur Hawkins kept his eyes on the field throughout the contest and kept encouraging the boys.
As one former player said on our Facebook page this morning, “Tarboro has always had our number, they seem to beat us every time.”
It’s not that the Jackets didn’t try Friday night, they did. The defense held like glue during many parts of the night and the offensive scheme could have worked well had there not been the fumbles, turnovers that set up three Viking touchdowns in the first half.
The coach talks to players after game.
As in life, the disappointments and heartbreak will soon wear off and, as coach Russell Weinstein said following the game, there was plenty to be proud of. This was a team that was 2-9 a few years ago, a team that this year made school history but having the first 10 win season, 11 if you count last week’s playoff win against Northside.
It appears several of this year’s Jackets have opportunities to play college ball and if you look at the results from the first meeting with Tarboro, the results Friday night were outstanding, the defensive strategies holding the score down and a punishing offensive plan whose only setback were from penalties and the turnovers.
While players may be holding their heads down today, go ahead and lift them up because there is more to be proud of this season than there is to be ashamed of.
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