A sea of gold and maroon fans packed Memorial Stadium Saturday night for the annual Family Day football game. The stands were lined with family members and friends in support of the team — especially since it was the first game without cornerback Robert Grays.
The team prepped themselves mentally and emotionally for this game so they could play it for Rob, who died after an injury two weeks ago.
“The team really prepared themselves on their own. They bonded together this week and kept lifting each other up,” Donte Ellington, assistant coach, said.
Ellington said the players felt more prepared because of the increased amount of time they spent together.
“We felt confident going into tonight’s game because of how much closer they got this week. They had each other’s backs and us coaches couldn’t be more proud,” Ellington said.
The support that the family and fans brought to the game helped bring a sense of confidence to the players, according to wide receiver DeAndré Black.
“Seeing everyone in the stands was a confidence booster for us. Hearing them in the crowd after we made a good play gave us the energy to feed off of,” Black said.
Most of the players’ families were able to come and watch their sons play football and show their support to MSU.
“My whole family and both sets of grandparents were able to come to the game. Their support is a blessing — I couldn’t keep on doing what I do without them,” Blaine Albrecht, tight end, said.
The team, now 3-0, plays Texas A&M Commerce on Oct. 7.
The boys are looking forward to continuing the winning streak to 4-0 next Saturday.
“Next week we have a very good match-up against a good team. We’ve got to be composed, do what we do and worry about no one else,” Brandon Sampson, wide receiver, said.
Family Day Football Game 2017
Phillip T Ammar • Oct 14, 2020 at 8:50 AM
I came across this article while researching Midwestern State football and noticed that there’s no mention of this game’s final score which is very odd and poor reporting. It’s a first in my 50 years of reading about sports.