PARKERSBURG, Iowa — Perched high above Ed Thomas Field is a sign that reads "Falcon Country.” Truth be told, it's a mess.
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The back looks as if it were bludgeoned by a sledgehammer. The front is wrinkled like paper in the wind, still bearing the scars inflicted by Iowa's worst tornado in decades.
Yet there it stood Friday night, scrapes and all. For those in the small towns of Aplington and Parkersburg, it's tangible proof that nothing — not even an EF5 twister — can tear them apart.
Few high school football games invoke as much emotion as the one Aplington-Parkersburg and West Marshall played that night. For three hours, a summer filled with sorrow was forgotten. The citizens of Aplington and Parkersburg packed the stands of a rebuilt Ed Thomas Field, known as the "Sacred Acre” for the pride the team takes in it, to cheer their beloved Falcons in their home opener.
A community devastated by a twister was reunited by football.
The weather service ranked it an EF5. Six Parkersburg residents were killed and two more died in New Hartford.
The high school was leveled and hit hard was nearby Ed Thomas Field, named for the coach who had touched countless lives in 33 years on the job.
Thomas was honored as the NFL High School Coach of the Year in 2005. Four of his former players are in the NFL: Green Bay's Aaron Kampman, Jacksonville's Brad Meester, Detroit's Jared DeVries and Denver's Casey Wiegman. It didn't take long for them to act.
Wiegman, Meester and DeVries held a fundraiser that brought in more than $200,00 to rebuild the school. The Jaguars sold tornado relief hats at a minicamp, and all four used their celebrity to draw attention to the devastation.
On Friday night, a chilly, steady rain did little to dampen the crowd's spirit, with thousands packing the stands or standing under umbrellas.
Aplington-Parkersburg entered the game No. 2 in The Associated Press Class 1A poll. The Falcons routed West Marshall 53-20.
Surrounded by his players after the game, Thomas tearfully addressed a crowd that would leave the Sacred Acre with more hope than ever.
"There hasn't been a day since May 25 when I haven't thanked God for his grace upon this community,” Thomas said, his voice cracking.
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Aplington-Parkersburg head coach Ed Thomas leads his team onto the field before their high school football game against West Marshall High School on Friday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
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