Friday night lights shine on after Harvey

FRIENDSWOOD, Texas (KTRK) -- Driving to Friendswood High School, debris piles line the roads. It's the same for Kingwood and communities across the metro area. On Friday night, once the stadium lights came on, the stand filled with fans and the teams rushed on the field, things felt normal again.

It was Friendswood High School verse Kingwood High School. The Mustangs versus the Mustangs.

Just being able to play was a victory in itself for Kingwood High School. The school was flooded during Harvey and the team lost almost everything.

"There's a moment there, where okay, what can we preserve? What can we recover?," said Kingwood High School head football coach Barry Campbell.

Their equipment was gone, no helmets or cleats left.

"There really was no time for woe is me. We went from one thing to the next thing and that's really where the focus has been," said Campbell.

Just in time, they were able to get their uniforms, equipment and practice before visiting Friendswood Friday night.

Kingwood High School students are attending Summer Creek High School while their school is being renovated. Coach Campbell said about dozen players' homes flooded.

Friendswood High School was not damaged, but many of the students' homes flooded, including twenty football players like Calvin Whitaker. After Whitaker worked on his house, he and other football players went from home to home to help other flood victims.

Now he said being back on the field is a way to get back to normal.

"I'm just trying to get in a rhythm. I started the year in a rhythm but the hurricane kind of took me out of it," said Whitaker.

On Friday night, the players, students and the community got to get that rhythm back, whether it was in the stands or on the field.

"Now they can concentrate on being a teenager again and I think that's what a game like this represents," said Friendswood High School head coach Robert Koopmann.

"I think it's a great asset mentally and physically as they're able to get out here and away from that world is a huge benefit for those guys," said Campbell.

A rhythm was back and it shined under the Friday night lights.

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