This week in HS Sports: Light and love can shine through in the toughest of times

This is an opinion piece.

Having had a few days to think about it, I’m still amazed by the courage Elberta High football coach Nathan McDaniel and two of his players showed earlier this week at Baldwin County Media Day.

Just a few days removed from the tragic death of teammate Avery Pickle over the Fourth of July weekend, the trio spoke eloquently to members of the press about Pickle’s legacy and the process of moving forward without him.

I wouldn’t have blamed them had they skipped Media Day this year.

In fact, I gave coach McDaniel that option.

He didn’t take it, and I’m glad he didn’t because we all learned something that day.

On the same day the team reconvened for the first time since Pickle’s death, McDaniel and seniors Austin Harrison and Corbitt Williams came to Daphne to represent their team and speak about their friend, brother, teammate.

It was a lesson in courage for all of us.

“We are here with heavy hearts,” McDaniel said. “But we are trying to push through.”

There is no doubt in my mind the Warriors will do just that. The team should be back to a regular routine by now, and that will definitely help. It won’t be the same obviously, but they will move forward.

The lesson here is an obvious one and an important one.

“Don’t let a day pass that you don’t tell people you love each other,” McDaniel said. “That’s how you get through tragedy. It’s a good hashtag to put on a sign, but you have to try to really live it. The only way you get through something like this is with family.”

McDaniel also talked about the support the team has received from the community, the media and the coaching and football fraternity across the state.

“In a time like this, you really learn how special the coaches in this state are,” he said. “It becomes such a brotherhood through tragedy. I cannot tell you how many people have reached out from the farthest part of North Alabama to the south part of the state. College coaches have called. You name it.

“The coaching community is special. Unless you’ve been a part of it, it’s hard to understand, but it’s cool how everyone has each other’s back in a time like this. (Thompson coach) Mark Freeman was blowing up my phone maybe 10 minutes after Avery’s death became news. That’s special.”

In the best of times. In the worst of times. We need each other.

It’s refreshing anytime to see people come together and put others needs ahead of their own, but it’s especially so in difficult situations.

It’s called selflessness.

In Philippians 2:3-4, it says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others.”

I’m told Avery Pickle lived his life that way. I didn’t know him personally. I wish I had. Now, the team he left behind is showing the rest of us how to move forward.

Honestly, it’s been a tough week for my family as well. We’ve had a few difficult situations to handle, but we too have been embraced and encouraged by the love of others along the way.

In a world that seems always at odds – even in our small circles sometimes – love can still prevail.

In the fiercest of competition in the world of high school football, kindness can prevail.

In the darkest of times, there is always Light.

Trust it. Trust Him.

Thought for the week

“Who will I be when trouble comes calling for me?

Will I live the way I believe when I’m backed up against the wall?

What kind of heart do I have in my chest?

Does it beat for my Savior or just for my flesh?

What will I do in the moment that everything falls?”

Stand -- Newsboys

Ben Thomas is the high school sportswriter at AL.com. He has been named one of the 50 legends of the Alabama Sports Writers Association. Follow him on twitter at @BenThomasPreps or email him at [email protected]. He can be heard weekly on “Inside High School Sports” on SportsTalk 99.5 FM in Mobile or on the free IHeart Radio App at 2 p.m. Wednesdays.