by Joe Hall | Photos courtesy of Amanda Hall
Lavaca Golden Arrows took the field last last Friday led by 13 seniors. This will be a special season for a very special group of young men. Most of these guys have been playing together since 2nd or 3rd grade. The bonds that they have are strong to say the least. The ties that bind them together go far beyond that of a teammate, it’s much more than that. They have rallied around each other through injuries, adversity, and even great loss.
Trevon (T-Man) Moore lost his father last year to pancreatic cancer. His father, Wes, was a staple in the stands and this season will be the first season he won’t be seen at the games. But make no mistake he will be there. T-Man wears spats over his cleats in a personal memorial of his father, and the rest of the team decided to honor him by wearing a helmet decal that displays the initials WM with a purple ribbon as a team memorial of a great friend and father. The decals were presented at last Friday’s pep rally, much to the surprise of the Moore family.
Bailey Vann, number 64, underwent surgery on August 27th to remove a tumor between his heart and lung. He is home now recovering but will have to miss his senior football season. But again his teammates honored him in their own way. Tyler Armistead carried Bailey’s Jersey out of the tunnel to lead the Arrows on to the field. His Jersey was then prominently displayed on the sidelines for all of the home crowd to see. Bailey, himself, may not have been able to attend the game but he is very much a big part of this team and his presence was noticeable. Please pray for continued recovery for this young man.
Team Captains for the in Inaugural Game of the 2018 season were Jimmy Hall, number 11 and Trey Werner, number 6. Both Seniors and both out due to injuries. Jimmy is recovering from a torn Meniscus and looks to be back game for game 3 against Two Rivers. Trey will be out 6 to 8 Weeks having broke his shoulder in multiple places. He hopes to be back in time for the playoffs. Both these young men are starters on this Golden Arrow team. It’s quite an honor to be selected as captains when you can’t take the field.
The parents, coaches, and community should be proud of this team. The character of this team is without question their most impressive attribute. This is a very good team, make no mistake, and they will go on to win a lot of games this year…but there are things that are more important than that. This team, this group of seniors will go on in life to accomplish great things because they have already learned what makes a man great. Greatness is not measured in ones wins and losses but in the impact one makes in others.
Go Arrows!! Arrow Pride!!