Allie Perison
Editor in Chief

Faith student and parents cheer on Gainesville players before the game starts. Photo by Tyler Morris.

Remember the Titans, Rudy and Friday Night Lights are all among the feel good football movie classics, but this list may be missing one of our very own local stories.

While many attended the Coppell- Flower Mound game Friday night, history was being made not only on the field, but in the stands as the second game between the Gainesville State School Tornadoes and the Faith Christian School Lions took place.

Last November marked the first game between Faith and Gainesville, one that was not quickly to be forgotten. Faith coach Kris Hogan decided to take matter into his own hands when he heard the news that Gainesville was to be their opponent. Gainesville is a maximum security facility for boys known for having a sparse amount of fans partly due to the fact that all of their games are away.

“We are used to having two or three people come out or just our security guards as our fans,” director of the recreational department at Gainesville Karen Bates said.

When Gainesville arrived they were greeted with not only a spirit line and a “Go Tornadoes” sign, but also bleachers full of Faith fans cheering them on. Hogan had sent out an email to Faith parents and students asking for half of the crowd to sit on the Gainesville side and support them as if they were there own team.

The response from the Gainesville boys was something no one could have expected. They played there hardest and despite their loss, treated the game as if they were winners. The game made such an impact on not only both teams, but any person who heard of the game that the story is now being made into a movie called OneHeart.

“It’s a really great story,” Faith parent and producer of OneHeart Russell Lake said. “We think it can really impact a lot of people. The act of kindness that we showed to these boys last year really inspired us to take it to another level. It helped show other folks around the country that just by doing something simple you can make an impact. It didn’t cost anything to cheer for those boys and look at what it has done.”

This year’s game proved to be no different than lasts when it came to supporting the Gainesville’s Tornadoes. Faith took what they had done last year and stepped it up even further. A spirit line that stretched father than the field could reach welcomed the Gainesville players along with bleachers stuffed full of fans holding signs. Fans were even given the chance to call out players by name thanks to the team roster which included the first names and jersey numbers of the boys.

“It is a really awesome thing that Faith has done for these boys,” Bates said. “The kids really think it is a nice thing to do. We were just surprised by last year. We thought we were on the wrong side of the field.”

Even celebrity Dallas Cowboy football player Jason Wittan, Dallas Cowboy head coach Wade Philips and Disney actor Cody Linley came out to support the game.

The Tornadoes were even given there own mascot. Faith senior Courtney Quijas sported a homemade costume that she wore with pride.

“I am normally the mascot for Faith, but I decided that Gainesville deserved a mascot too,” Quijas said. “I know that they probably do not get this kind of stuff too often. It is nice to have someone to be able to support you and someone to show love on you. It probably means a lot because they do not get it often.”

Hogan’s Heroes, a group of students with painted faces and trash can drums, pumped up the crowds on both sides of the field, periodically switching which team they were cheering for.

“We put a lot of time in to trying to get people to come who came last year and get new people who aren’t a part of Faith at all to come,” senior Hogan’s Hero Ethan Hulme said. “Our goal is to get the Faith fans on the Faith side and have enough people come support Gainesville so they can have their own set of fans to cheer them on.”

Gainesville has already seen a difference in their students. Eighty percent of the kids who have gone to jail once go back. In the athletic program alone 40 to 50 percent of the kids return to prison. After last years game, all of the players who were released have remained free. Bates, who has kept in touch many students from Gainesville, agreed that she had seen a change in all of the boys. Some of the players from last year have called her, telling her of their progress and how they have stayed on track.

This also has inspired and motivated many of the Gainesville students who didn’t play sports to want to play football. This entails good behavior and a large list of requirements to even be considered to be let out to play. This year, Gainesville boasted the largest team they have ever filled.

Aunt of one of the Gainesville players Melissa Tores attended the game with her family to support her nephew. Her nephew was not at the game last year, but was inspired by the story.

“He looks forward to these games,” Tores said. “Every time they have a game he gets excited. It feels good to see him out here and not just locked up. This has given him a lot, enough to get himself together. What he needs to do is continue his life the way it is supposed to be.”

As for the movie, it is still in the development process. A script is being written by screen writer Lane Garisson who has been involved with various productions such as Prison Break and Shooter. There are actors and directors who have taken an interest in the film, but no one has committed yet.

“The movie is going to be a theatrical release so it will be a major film,” Lake said. “It will contain a message of hope and that you can make a difference in somebody’s life.”

One of the main goals of the movie is to motivate young people to be difference makers. Last year, the players of Faith wrote letters of encouragement to the Gainesville players.

“We asked the boys from Faith what impact they thought that letter had on the boys from Gainesville and they all said that they thought they just read it and threw it away,” Lake said. “When we asked the boys from Gainesville what impact the letters had, they said that they would read those letters everyday if they could keep them. It didn’t cost those boys anything to do that and every kid on that team said the same thing. Making a difference and taking an interest is how we want the message to be.”

Other schools around the country have followed the example set by Faith and offered their hospitality to schools similar to Gainesville.

“It is an honor to know that others are following our lead,” senior Faith student Maci Henson said. “We did something from our hearts and now people are taking that and doing something from theirs.”

While Gainesville lost to Faith again this year, no one saw their team as a failure. The game was just another example of how a little support and love can go a long way.

“This has been a real feel good thing for everyone,” Bates said. “You have a bunch of young men who had chosen the wrong decision and the fact that they are here and with people supporting them is a big deal.”

Gallery by Tyler Morris

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