Residents of the small Texas Panhandle community of 8,400 people were left in shock, sadness, and now having to pick up the pieces of what’s been ripped away.
Since the traumatic events, Perryton has seen massive support from not only the Amarillo-area but a statewide level with everyone lending a helping hand. There are several shelters and supply depots across town including the high school. Instead of doing the normal things like summer school, or summer workouts, the athletic department and student-athletes have now taken pride in the cleanup of the place they live so proudly.
“There’s nothing that can prepare anyone for anything like this,” Perryton athletic director/ head football coach Cole Underwood said. “The amount of support that the community and the school district has seen is incredible. That’s made a lot of our jobs a lot easier. I didn’t know our gym would ever be a shelter. I never dreamed our other gym would be a supply depot. But what I love the most is seeing the community come together. Especially the coaches and the student-athletes we have. That’s what Perryton is all about. It’s having each other’s backs.”
Underwood, who just took over as athletic director in May, and his coaching staff took action the night of the tornado and have been on the ground ever since. The student-athletes of Perryton didn’t hesitate to start doing their part.
“My brother and I started helping Friday morning,” Loera said. “We immediately wanted to be there for our community and do what we could. I’ve been helping clean up and doing food deliveries and I’ll do whatever is needed.”
Junior-to-be, Emma Martinez, a basketball and track athlete for the Rangerettes, has spent her time not only cleaning up, but has taken to finding lost pets.
“I’ve been looking for pets that may have gone missing,” Martinez said. “I’ve been able to find a couple of German Shepards and reunite them with their families. I’ve also helped on picking up debris around houses.”
Brayden Newman will be a junior linebacker for the Rangers in the fall. Newman was at his house across town when he heard the news. He went right to Underwood and the coaches and asked what his role could be.
“I didn’t realize that five minutes of chaos could cause this type of destruction,” Newman said. “We want to do our best to help our community. This is where we live and we’re proud to be from Perryton. I immediately wanted to help and get the community back to where it was no matter how long it takes.”
“Nobody needed to ask us to start helping,” Cervantes said. “I got with coach (Cole) Underwood and asked how I could help. Since then, my teammates and I have cleaned up houses, pick up the debris left, taking loads of tree limbs out to the dump and delivering food.”
“It’s tragic what happened but now we have the chance to rally together and help the town the best we can. You never think this will happen and it feels unreal but I’m just glad we can all pull together.”
Underwood said this kind of support from his coaches and students is what makes being a part of Perryton worth it.
“The athletic department and administration has been fantastic,” Underwood said. “They stay all hours to make sure everyone is being taken care of during these tough times. I’m blessed to work with the coaches we have and the student-athletes every day. We’ve had them doing everything. The girls have been helping in food deliveries, finding pets, and organizing donations. The guys are helping clearing debris and hauling trash. The coaches have been on the ground 24 hours a day. We didn’t have to ask. It was how can we help, and I love that’s what we’re about.”