ATHENS — It hit Matt Bradley early Saturday morning as he backed the truck toward a trailer loaded full with football equipment.
Ricky isn’t here, Bradley thought.
Ricky Aspinwall was the defensive coordinator of the Apalachee High School football team, one of the most important roles for the program. Yet he insisted on driving the equipment truck to away games in the fall. Bradley, the team’s strength and linebackers coach, always packed the trailer and rode with Aspinwall.
“I forgot something,” Bradley said Saturday before Apalachee played at Clarke Central High in Athens. “I probably wouldn’t have if he was here.”
Aspinwall was one of four people killed in the mass shooting at Apalachee High on Sept. 4. He also taught math and was known as an intense coach who lived for hugs with his wife and two young daughters after games and practices.
Credit: Nell Carroll for the Journal Constitution
Credit: Nell Carroll for the Journal Constitution
Preparing to resume their season after canceling the previous three games wasn’t easy. Apalachee students returned to classes at the school in Winder on Tuesday. Then Hurricane Helene pushed through Georgia, moving Friday’s scheduled away game to Saturday morning.
Putting the game plan together forced Jordan Rushing to confront his feelings.
“I sat down to make the practice schedule, and he wasn’t there,” said Rushing, Apalachee’s offensive coordinator.
Rushing said he wanted to pick up the phone and call Aspinwall. Most evenings they bounced ideas off each other, mulled over tweaks, challenged each other with plays, talked about their players and students.
“I just froze,” Rushing said. “Not having him was really tough.”
Credit: Nell Carroll for the Journal Constitution
Credit: Nell Carroll for the Journal Constitution
Head coach Mike Hancock became emotional one afternoon this week when he passed by Aspinwall’s desk. That’s where Bradley had placed Aspinwall’s head set, what he used to communicate with the coaching staff during games. At first Hancock said nobody would wear it on Saturday.
But the coaching staff decided Andrew Howe should. The 21-year-old University of Georgia senior and former Apalachee student helps the football program. Hancock said Aspinwall treated Howe like a favorite kid brother.
“He would always bust my butt for getting a milkshake at Chick-fil-A before games,” Howe said.
Howe used to ride in the equipment truck with Bradley and Aspinwall. He also spent hours after practices with Aspinwall, coming up with offensive plays and learning how they would likely be defended.
Howe said Aspinwall’s death, and the team rallying to play on Saturday, has locked in his career path.
“I’m a criminal justice major, and I never saw myself as a teacher,” he said. “After all this, I know God wants me here with these kids. So that’s what I’m going to do.”
Credit: Nell Carroll for the Journal Constitution
Credit: Nell Carroll for the Journal Constitution
Hancock grew up in Athens. Though he attended Athens Christian, he spent summers training at Clarke Central with legendary coach Billy Henderson. The Baxter Street Pizza Hut that used to be near the school was Hancock’s Friday night hangout in the 1980s.
So Clarke Central felt like the right place for his team, located 28 miles to the west in Barrow County, to return to action. The next Apalachee home game on Oct. 4 against Jackson County, will likely be an emotional event.
The Clarke Central Gladiators defeated the Apalachee Wildcats 48-21 on Saturday.
The Clarke Central matchup was good for acclimation, Hancock figured.
He gathered his players on a hillside overlooking the field in Athens about 10 minutes before kickoff.
“You guys are going to go the rest of your life, people are going to know where you went to high school,” he told them.
“That A ain’t for Apalachee today on my hat. It’s for Aspinwall. You’re going to cry. You’ll get emotional.”
Credit: Nell Carroll for the Journal Constitution
Credit: Nell Carroll for the Journal Constitution
Hancock called defensive plays on Saturday. Apalachee had to change terminology and parts of the scheme because it was too complicated without Aspinwall there to coordinate. That was an obvious difference, but Bradley couldn’t stop noticing things Aspinwall used to handle.
Aspinwall helped set up the sideline with tents, water coolers and benches. He fixed broken helmets and shoulder pads. And he always picked the music on the ride to the game.
Bradley said on Saturday he and Howe couldn’t settle on what to play.
“It’s those little things that get you,” Bradley said. “But we’ve got Ricky here with us, all over the place.”
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