Tarkington students help with storm cleanup

Tropical Depression Imelda left quite a mess in her wake with roughly 3,200 people rescued from their flooded homes across Liberty County. Now that the floodwaters have receded, the cleanup begins.

Some families in the Tarkington area got a little unexpected help from young men on the Tarkington High School varsity football team. The team went from house to house ripping out water-soaked carpet and padding, removing damaged flooring, cutting sheetrock and moving furniture.

They were led by Coach Ken McCarther and quarterback Trae Deck.

“On Thursday evening, Trae asked me if it would be a good idea to get a group together to go help people who were flooded,” said Athletic Director Zach Bass, who was landlocked in Lumberton and unable to help. “Coach McCarther was the only coach available, so he loaded the boys on a bus and took them all around Tarkington. They were in and out of some homes within 45 minutes. They were moving efficiently from house to house. They did quite a few house and then went back on Monday to do more.”

Bass, who has been leading Tarkington’s athletic program since April, said he is impressed at the team’s cohesiveness on and off the field.

“We love all our boys and they are all special. This group decided to do all this. My only contribution was telling them it was a good idea when they asked,” he said. “These boys got after it. They coordinated it. All they needed were addresses of people to help, and they did the rest.”

Bass said that Coach McCarther was the perfect person to lead this effort as he is selfless and gives everything to students at Tarkington High School where he has coached for 25 years.

“It’s a blessing and a privilege for me to work with all of them. It’s my first time as an athletic director and to work with coaches like this, who put others first, makes my job easier. I wouldn’t say coaching isn’t easy. It’s not, but this makes the process more efficient when you are not combating selfishness and apathy,” Bass said. “These kids love working together and they love their community.”

Bass said the athletes’ response to the storm recovery proves they have something special.

“This is the ‘It factor’. Whatever hidden, special ingredient thing it is, these kids have a bond with each other that allows them to work well together and compete harder,” he said. “We’ve only had two home football games this year and the stadium has been packed. This community definitely shows its support for these kids and this was a chance for these kids to show support for their community.”