Alexander/Athens Rivalry Renewed

[gt13osu]

The Spartans travel to Rutter Field tonight to battle the Bulldogs on the pitch.
The girls game is first on the slate beginning at 5:30. The Lady Bulldogs are 4-0 all time vs. The Lady Spartans, but this year holds a good chance for the red and white to get their biggest win yet in their 3 year history.
And it's also good when Coach Fauber and Coach Thomas hook up on the boys side. Hope the rain holds off and fans will be loud in attendance for this match.
Look for coverage of both games in the Athens Messenger.

[gt13osu]

The weather didn't hold off. Tornadoes destroyed the field. Got outta there minutes before it hit. Was part of the leaves, sticks, and debris flying around though. Scariest thing I have ever been a part of.

[gt13osu]

The big press box they have at Athens is down, and it ripped up the goalposts as well.

[goldentoe]

that's really sad to hear. Glad you guys made it out. Is it true the school also had damage?

[gt13osu]

Yeah the school had some damage too. Some air conditioning units were tore off as well as some roofs to the smaller buildings, and the school had some flooding. They wont have school for at least tomorrow

[rockyraccoon]

http://www.athensnews.com/ohio/article- ... torms.html

From this article it sounds like everyone was lucky to get out and into shelter alive. Glad no one was injured at the stadium, this could have been a disaster.

[soccerfanatic]

I was in the middle of the tornado in The Plains with my boys' soccer team and the girls soccer team inside the locker room next to the field (we had 50 players total boys and girls, along with the officials, coaches, and some parents.) The news is reporting only 40 students were in the school, but this is way off. There was a volleyball game with Vinton going on too and they had all of the volleyball players and fans plus all of the fans from soccer games sought shelter in the school. Our boys team was waiting to play the game after the girls soccer game when we evacuated to the stone building locker room known as the dog house. The opposing team (alexander) evacuated to the school while the home team boys and girls teams, with the officials sought refuge in the locker room. We had to get down on the floor as the tornado passed around the locker room.

The football/soccer stadium was destroyed. Several light poles crashed down, the away stands collapsed, the football goal posts were ripped down, one of the soccer goals flew at least thirty yards before crashing into a structure, the press box blew off the top of the stand and doesn't exist anymore, and the concession stand roof blew off. The high school is in really bad shape as well. Many of the homes right next to the high school were badly damaged or destroyed. Luckily, all of the players and their families made it out okay and reports are that people in the houses near the field were okay too. Some of the parents were in the concession stand when the roof blew off and there were some injuries inside there. It appears the area right around the high school was hit incredibly hard.

[weeze1]

I was supposed to be there and called it off the night before.. I don't know why but something must have told me to stay home. The Plains was destroyed.. Looks like a war zone. Glad people were ok.