The Falcons walk through the beaten and bruised sign that withstood the tornado for warm-ups.
A constant rythmn is used to keep warm-ups going and on beat.
Coach Thomas commands his team from a distance, having complete control and trust in his team.
Coach Thomas and the Falcons hit the field moments before their game against St. Ansgar.
(Photo Courtesy http://www.nytimes.com/)
ED THOMAS
Ed Thomas has led the Aplington-Parkersburg Falcons to the playoffs 18 times and has played in six state championships with the Falcons coming out on top in two. But his 19th trip, the 2008 football season was different from all other trips.
On May 25, 2008 an EF5 tornado ravaged through the town of Parkersburg. Six Parkersburg residents died during the storm.
The entire south part of town was gone, City Hall destroyed, the building that was the high school lay in shambles.
When the town needed someone to lift them up, Ed Thomas was there with the Aplington-Parkersburg Falcons football team right by his side. For the citizens of Parkersburg, and the community of A-P football gives them the chance to get away from their daily lives. Football is the pride of their town.
When it came time to pick up the pieces and start over it wasn’t a surprise what was the first priority. Cleaning up and restoring the football field made its way to the top of the list.
“I didn’t look for anybody to turn to me, but that is just my nature to step up and get going,” Thomas said.
“I always tell the players and parents that if the only thing they learn in our program is how to play football then we have failed as coaches,” Thomas said. “To me it is about all the intangibles that will help make them successful in life to be better dads, husbands and members of their church and community.”
He teaches his players about commitment, dedication, work ethic and putting individual egos aside. For Thomas, this all begins with the seniors.
He doesn’t have team captains but instead uses a system of senior leaders. Each year after the winter season sports end, Thomas begins talking to the juniors who will be seniors and guides them through a six week leadership program.
It is within this program that Thomas instills his beliefs of putting others ahead of yourself and making a sacrifice for the sake of the team.
Every January Thomas gets his next class of seniors-to-be together and begins talking to them about their goals and being accountable for everything they do. Each senior selects a group of the returning players that they are held accountable for. Thomas puts the team in his seniors’ hands and asks them to lead by example. The end goal is to make these men more than just football players. It is to help them develop a servant mentality and have them come together as a family.
And in the backdrop of disaster, the family showed up for the one who taught them what they knew.
Below is a video of A-P's first home game since the tornado and includes a very emotional pregame speech from Coach Ed Thomas.
