When your heart has room for 13 more.

It’s hard to put something into words when you feel so strongly about it you could burst.

There’s been something on my mind…almost daily…for the last 5 months.  Something that has come up in almost every conversation, and seeped into my heart slowly where it will rest always.

The Alexander Comets.

Far past the glow and the shiny surface of brand new uniforms and national media coverage, stands 13 high school boys that changed the course of their own lives and an entire community.

Behind the heartwarming stories and articles though, underneath the shine, there is more to be seen. A deeper and more raw story…the one that seems to never be told.  See the truth is, the Alexander Comets are formed by much more than just a group of high school boys.

They are made up of a collection of 13 different paths of life experiences. Some much more painful and hard than anyone could imagine. Some wonderful, some boring. Some heartbreaking, some scary.

No one, unless directly associated, could possibly imagine the work,time…blood, sweat, and tears that a school must put in to build an entire program from the ground up. The stress, the hours, the manpower, the tears. Standing behind those boys are the wall of people that made it possible. An entire community, school administration, teachers, coaches, managers, bus drivers, volunteers…so much invested.

Watching Kevin start fresh with a new team was hard at first. To close the chapter in Fairview after all of those years and march on to unknown territory…it was bittersweet. But as the weeks passed, I could see before my eyes that he had a newfound energy behind coaching…being pushed to new limits and starting with a team who had essentially, as a whole, never played football. Yes, there were a few players who had played before, but never 6 man, and never together and some just…never.

Behind the frustration and learning curve, there is beauty to be found in stripping something down to it foundation…it’s core, and breathing life into it.

Kevin was born to be a football coach. It’s in his blood, in his soul. Watching him through this challenging season has made me more proud of him as a coach than I could ever imagine. To see him carry himself with integrity through losses, and meetings…tough teams, injuries, managing issues that came up, finding solutions to things, and still falling in love with his new 13, the same way if not more deeply than every group that has come before…has changed me in the process. See it's very different to go from a flourishing program, to one that's just beginning. To go from a "successful" team with many numbers and a deep bench, to a very small team still trying to figure out who will fit best at which position. To go from win after win every week and deep into the playoffs for years, to losses and injury and trial by fire. But there can be even more heart and beauty that lies within a fresh start, gratefulness, and a longing to just be there. Watching Kevin carry himself in an identical fashion to all the years he did before, no matter the vast differences on the scoreboard and numbers, has shown me that his love for football and coaching runs much more deep than titles, and wins, and records. 

Today they played their last game of their first season. Battered and bruised, many out for injuries, and a lopsided score, they finished the game with a touchdown and celebrated that as if they had won the superbowl. I’m so proud of them…but I hope they are so, so very proud of themselves.

Who would have thought…a nerdy, book loving, gypsy heart photographer would end up with a football coach and produce a son that lives to be just like his dad. If you would have told me that 10 years ago I would have laughed and said “never!!!” But it has changed me. This journey of being a coach’s wife has enriched me more than I could express, despite being very difficult at times. I thought we had closed the football chapter 2 years ago when Kevin left teaching, but then he returned in Fairview, and then started a new journey in Alexander. And alas, my heart made room for 13 more. And just as all of the boys before them, there they will stay.