I bet principal Rick Brown has been called a few names in his time at the helm of Vidalia High School. Heretic probably isn’t one of them, but when Brown stepped in Friday night to speak up for academics over athletics, he came very close.

Football is as close to religion as you get in the South without stepping into the walls of a church.

On Friday nights in the fall, diehard fans proceed into one of six stadiums scattered across the Miss-Lou for their weekly football fix.

Nothing short of an act of God can postpone this weekly spectacle in the Miss-Lou.

Well God acted last Friday night with rain and lightning bolts.

At Viking stadium, it took one electrifying bolt for the head referee to send the Vidalia High School and Delhi Charter teams to their respective locker rooms.

According to the rules of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, action on the field is suspended for 30 minutes after the last detected lightning strike. As the storm slowly grew Friday night, the game was pushed later and later with each lightning strike.

Games in Ferriday and Natchez were already postponed to the next day.

In Vidalia, however, there was a standoff. For a game to be postponed, the head coach from each team had to agree to suspend the game. There was no such agreement Friday night.

Tied 6-6 in the second quarter, Delhi Charter School’s coach reportedly stood his ground and said he was willing to stay until 2 a.m Saturday, if necessary.

From the perspective of the Delhi coach, it must have been frustrating to contemplate driving 90 miles home and then making the same round trip the next day.

Normally the late hour might not have been so important, but many of the students on the team and in the stands were scheduled to take the ACT test the next morning. Many colleges use this test as part of their admissions requirements.

As the clocked ticked closer to 9 p.m. and the lightning increased, so, too, did the concerns of parents who sought a call from the referees to postpone the game, considering the circumstances. Referees referred the parents to coaches.

Delhi Charter’s coach refused to budge.

Then in stepped Brown, who impressed upon the referees that he wasn’t going to let one coach’s refusal adversely affect his students’ futures.

As the administrator of the facility, Brown was ready to close the campus down leaving Delhi Charter’s coach with two options — postpone the game until Saturday or accept a 6-6 tie.

After a tense closed-door session, the Delhi Charter coach angrily agreed to postpone the game. Delhi Charter eventually won the game 29-12 the next day.

Sporting events clearly play an important role in the life of any school. Whether it is football, softball or track, athletics increases self-esteem and mental alertness. It teaches teamwork.

Athletics with all of its adrenaline pumping suspense tends to overshadow the importance of getting a good education. Academics tends to take a backseat.

Seeing an administrator keep an eye on the big picture and keep things in perspective is refreshing.

A game ending in the wee hours posed a greater risk to students and fans in the long term, than playing a single football game. For students who plan to attend college, points on the ACT test can add dollar figures to scholarships.

Students had already paid to take the test, Brown said. He wasn’t willing to have them waste their time and money on Friday night’s game.

In the world of football, that might be considered heresy. For principal Brown it’s about looking out for his kids.

 

Ben Hillyer is the design editor of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3540 or by e-mail at ben.hillyer@natchezdemocrat .com