NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
The Medicine Hat Jr. Hawks and St. Mary's Colts take a knee together in the centre of the Methanex Bowl ahead of their game Friday night.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Thursday night’s Medicine Hat Junior Hawks’ game was an emotional affair.
Medicine Hat took the field at the Methanex Bowl against the St. Mary’s Colts in a playoff match – their first game since the passing of 12-year-old Junior Hawk Ariel Joe.
Ricky Hildebrand, a coach with the Junior Hawks, says it was good to get back on the field.
“Sport always has a way of bringing people together and we saw that with the two teams at centre field,” Hildebrand said. “We’re excited to move forward and continue helping our kids to move forward and continue to be unified in sport.”
The two teams met in the middle of the field before the anthem of a Junior Hawks 23-6 win, to kneel for a moment of silence.
Junior Hawks announcer Nate Gale spoke about Joe, and Hildebrand said his speech reflected who he was as a person and football player.
“Just a kind, positive, enjoyable guy who always had a smile on his face on the football field,” Hildebrand said.
The Junior Hawks parents have banded together for support, not only for one another and their children, but also the Joe family. Whether it was delivering meals or just helping out, Hildebrand said it’s been a supportive time for all.
“We like to think of our football team as a family and we’ve seen the support within our team with our parents, and there’s been loads of it.”
