PAWNEE, Okla. — Pawnee High School finally got to celebrate homecoming.
The Sept. 19 storm that blew through Pawnee delayed it. Homecoming was originally scheduled for Sept. 20, but damage from the storm prevented the school from hosting.
Mike Godberson took the public address mic around 6:15 p.m. on Oct. 4, as he has for the last several years.
“Good luck to both teams tonight,” he said over the PA.
The homecoming game against Pawhuska might be his most memorable.
- SEE MORE >>> Brodie Myers' photos from the game
“We do everything we can to keep our small town alive,” Godberson said.
Ronnie Jestes has lived in town for all 81 years of his life. He wouldn’t miss the game for anything.
“What you see here tonight is support,” Jestes said, “People were there [during the storm]. Everybody comes together and takes care of each other.”
Ronnie’s daughter-in-law Beverly runs the merchandise stand at Black Bear games and knew the game would be a hit.
“Homecoming’s always fun. We always have a great crowd,” Beverly said, “Win or lose, our people are following our team.”
The homecoming game was a full-circle moment from the storm. In fact, right before it hit, the homecoming court was on the field rehearsing their coronation ceremony.
“We were alerted by our superintendent that there were lightning strikes in the area,” Godberson said, “So we called for a 30-minute lightning delay. Then the storm hit about ten minutes right after that.”
The reality didn’t set in until the next day.
“It was scary for me. We didn’t really know how bad it was when we were in it,” Godberson said, “My wife and I were driving home, we live about four miles from [the stadium], and it was a struggle. I’ve never driven through rain that hard, or wind.”
Thanks to some Oklahomans pulling together, the game went on without a hitch. Pawnee neighbors made it happen.
“We’re the underdog …. so we’ll win,” Ronnie Jestes said.
Pawnee’s next game is at Caney Valley. They are back home Oct. 17 for a game against Quapaw.
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