On Sunday, multiple homes had been affected, and the high school football players who attend the nearby high school jumped to action to assist in the clean up efforts.
AJ Brien, a junior football player, contacted head coach Jon Daniels after Brien saw the tornado destruction on a prominent corner in the area.
“He called and said, ‘Hey do you think we can get a group of guys over here at 3:30,’ and I sent out a message to the guys,” Daniels said. “It was the players who I think deserve much more credit than anybody here as far as organizing those things.”
Daniels was out of town the night of tornado and didn’t know about the damages until his wife sent him a message on Sunday morning. He said there must of been serious damage to three or four houses impacted close together.
Kenton Ridge alumnus and former football player Gavin Higgins drove past the destruction and got out of his car to assist in the cleanup.
“It’s cool to see the moments like this where it really revealed the character of the guys involved in our program,” Daniels said.
Brendan Taylor, alumnus and assistant football coach at Kenton Ridge, said he wasn’t surprised by the turnout of players who showed up to help in the clean up.
He said the football program works on each player’s development through three main areas as being as young men, athletes and in acts of service for the community.
The dedicated coaches and incredible players have created a culture to “do it the right way,” Daniels said. He said finding ways to serve the community is taken very seriously and is at the core of it all.
“Being able to work with those type of young men who are committed to using their God-given abilities to help other people is without question one of the biggest joys of this whole thing,” Daniels said.
Through Kenton Ridge Athletic Boosters, the football team is involved in an annual mulch fundraiser. The players deliver bags of mulch, which is especially helpful to older community members who struggle to carry bags of mulch.
Players also assist in the youth football program.
Taylor described the players as fun, having high energy and as a close knit group.
“This is just one of those great opportunities where our abilities aligned with community needs,” Daniels said.
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