Personal Letter
from Jeff Calabrese, HHS Head Coach
October 10, 2012
Dear
Media,
Thank
you for your patience. I decided to
write a letter because, quite frankly, I am having a hard time with my
words….even finding the correct things to say, but I will try. I need you all to understand that I really
love our players; our coaches love our players; and I believe our players love
us. Ronald and I had an extremely close
relationship. I have been absolutely devastated, and have only been able to
stand because of my trust in God.
Telling
our players of Ronald's death was the most excruciating thing I have ever had
to do. After the words somehow came out
of my mouth, our coaches immediately tried to console our boys. As coaches, we had to find a way to be strong
for our kids. Grown men have had
experiences in their lives that young men have not. We HAD to find the courage to be there for
them. Again, I believe God gave us [as a
staff] that ability.
I
have never been more proud of a group of young men in my life. These kids have drawn strength from each
other, family, and their faith.
Ronald
was a very special young man whom I loved dearly. The depth of his personality can't really be
put into words. Everyone has had a
"Rouse Moment". We have been sharing
those moments for three days, and we will keep going…the stories are
endless. Ronald also knew the Bible very
well, and was proud of his faith. If you
were in Ronald's life, you basically experienced every emotion there is, and
sometimes that was on a daily basis.
Ronald was a true blessing and we all are grateful for the time we
shared.
While
football is not the most important thing right now, we had to come up with a
plan to move forward. Our players
thought that playing on Friday was the best option. I do not know how we will play, or to be
honest, what kind of job I have actually done this week….The victory is in
finding the courage and strength to take the field.
Jeff
Calabrese
Head Coach
Hartsville High School Red Foxes
