Jeramie Korth sought out a tiny silver lining amid the destruction caused by a tornado July 27 in Menasha.
Things could have been much, much worse, according to Korth.
“If you think about a typical Monday, we probably would have been at the stadium with all the football players,” the Menasha High School football coach said. “The fact that it was a ‘dead week’ was a blessing in disguise in that way, and that the kids were probably all home and not out and about.”
Calder Stadium, Menasha’s football stadium, took a significant hit from the tornado, with the home side bleachers torn apart along with a section of the press box roof that ended up in a nearby resident’s backyard, along with equipment slung all over the immediate area.
“I just drove through basically a war zone – also at Jefferson Park,” Korth said. “For the last four hours, I’ve been helping one of my assistant coaches get two of the biggest trees out of the back of his house. I got another coach on Doty Island that lost everything.”
Korth said several area high school administrators and coaches have contacted him to offer assistance. De Pere coach Ben Strickland also offered a helping hand, Korth said.
“He showed up from De Pere and helped out,” Korth said. “It was great and we worked there at the stadium from 6:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.”
The high school football season begins Tuesday, Aug. 4, and Korth said the plan is to have the team practice on the new field at Maplewood Middle School, which sustained minimal damage from the storm.
The Bluejays are scheduled to begin the regular season Aug. 21 with a home game against Plymouth before three consecutive road games. Korth said several area teams have offered the use of their facilities, including Kimberly and Xavier.
Korth is confident the logistics will work themselves out. For the time being, the mental health of the players remains paramount along with the Menasha community finding its way through the devastation.
“I mean, it’s crazy,” Korth said. “There are literally people walking up and down the streets with chainsaws. I’ve never been to the Wild West, but I can imagine what it looked like. It’s almost a war zone feel to it. But everybody’s safe and getting along. Everybody is chipping in and helping out. I’m sure there are plenty of tears shed and stuff like that, but everybody seems to be fairly positive and making the best out of a terrible situation.
“For the players, I’m trying to let them right now get their lives together. I will have [the logistics] all planned out. I will be the one who has to worry about it. I don’t want them to worry about it until they show up next week. … I’m just hoping our kids are all going to be ready to go and psychologically and everything, ready to go.”
Xavier’s Rocky Bleier Field also sustains damage
Xavier High School also has some clean-up to do around Rocky Bleier Field, according to Xavier athletics director Luke Herriges.
The Hawks begin the season at home against Little Chute on Aug. 21 and against Freedom on Aug. 28 before a pair of road games at Waupaca (Sept. 4) and Wrightstown (Sept. 11).
“We are making every effort to avoid losing any home games at the beginning of the season,” Herriges said. “There was some fairly significant damage to our fencing, out-buildings and equipment. There’s a big mess to clean up, but the leadership at the high school has been evaluating the situation and are continuing to make progress. We are blessed to have such a great community that steps up in time of need.”
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Menasha football coach optimistic despite damage to city, Calder Stadium
Reporting by Ricardo Arguello, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ricardo Arguello, Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
