The worst of it wasn’t wasting a 23-0 halftime lead in their season opener against Northwestern State (La.) last week.
For more than two dozen Louisiana-Monroe football players and coaches with ties to the Gulf Coast region devastated by Hurricane Katrina last week, the worst of it was losing contact with their families in the five days leading up to the team’s opening game.
As the Indians prepare for their game Saturday at Wyoming, they are in a better state of mind.
“Everybody was accounted for,” said coach Charlie Weatherbie, a former assistant at Wyoming and Air Force.
Just hours before the opening kickoff, Louisiana-Monroe junior kicker Chris Symmes of Gulfport, Miss., finally made cellphone contact with his grandfather, who had found shelter in a church. His grand- father assured Symmes his parents were safe, Weatherbie said.
“All the circuits down there were tied up, and you couldn’t get ahold of anybody,” Weatherbie said. “But most of the other players’ parents got out of there OK and they had a chance to visit with them and make sure they were OK.
“It was tough on both teams, really, because we’re both Louisiana teams. It was one of those things that had taken the minds and hearts away from the task at hand until we got to game time.”
Louisiana-Monroe raced to a big halftime advantage only to see it slip away and lose 27-23.
At Wyoming, school officials announced plans to put attendants at the gates Saturday at War Memorial Stadium to collect cash donations for the relief effort. All funds will be distributed through the American Red Cross.
Joseph Sanchez can be reached at 303-820-5458 or jsanchez@denverpost.com.
