Games canceled after Fort Hood shootings Posted On: Friday, Nov. 6 2009 05:16 AM By Angel Verdejo
Killeen Daily Herald

All Killeen-area athletic events were cancelled Thursday in reaction to the shootings at Fort Hood that left 12 dead and 31 wounded.

As of Thursday, many events scheduled for Friday and Saturday will go on as scheduled.

The Copperas Cove and Harker Heights football teams were originally scheduled to play their District 12-5A finale Thursday night at Leo Buckley Stadium.

The District Executive committee meets today to determine if the two team will meet at Cove's Bulldawg Stadium tonight, according to Killeen school district Athletic Director Tom Rogers.

If they don't play tonight in Cove, the game will more than likely not be made up.

"The (University Interscholastic League) instructed us to do what is right," Rogers said. "Moving forward, we'll meet with the district schools because (the game) could change some order."

Despite the possible playoff implications and district standings, both coaches said the game itself is irrelevant. Cove has already qualified for the Class 5A Division II playoffs, while Harker Heights is currently tied for fifth place with Ellison and Temple.

"I'm not going to say one way or another because right now all we're thinking about are the people that were injured in that and a football game is trivial at this point," said Harker Heights coach Mike Mullins.

Copperas Cove coach Jack Welch agreed.

"This is a horrific crime and we have to keep these people in mind," he said. "This is a game that we play and that's the game of life out there. Those soldiers that are battling for our lives, that's what we have to put first and foremost."

The sub-varsity football teams from Ellison, Killeen and Shoemaker teams did not play Thursday either (Cove and Harker Heights played their sub-varsity games Wednesday). Killeen's opponent - Pflugerville Hendrickson - actually rescheduled and quickly set up a junior-varsity game with Temple, who was scheduled to play Shoemaker on Thursday.

Shoemaker, which is just a few miles from Fort Hood's Clear Creek entrance and has an enrollment heavily dependent on the military, had its freshmen team going through its pre-game routine Thursday when the players were told to go inside the field house, coach Ken Gray.

"You have to know the environment and I knew that when I started," said Gray. "I was a military kid myself, so I'm able to relate to them real well. I wouldn't say it's business as usual, but we're trying to make it that way."

Ellison's freshmen teams were on the way to College Station for games against A&M Consolidated when they were called back.

"We're bringing our kids back, too, for the same reasons that we don't know who might be involved," Rogers said.

The cancelled sub-varsity games involving Ellison, Killeen and Shoemaker teams will not played.

"The kids (freshmen, sub-varsity) were disappointed because they wanted to play their last game," Killeen coach Sam Jones said. "But we told them that we have the playoffs and some of them will be moved up to stay in a football uniform a little longer and practice a little more. For those that don't, can get to basketball."

Two playoff volleyball matches went on as scheduled involving area schools. Gatesville ___ in a 3A area-round playoff, while Salado lost to Navarro in the 2A bracket.

Gatesville had just left for its match at Mineral Wells when the team heard of the shootings, coach Rickey Phillips said.

"We left at about 2:15 p.m. and had been gone about 10 minutes when one of our kids got a call from home and was telling her about it."

The Cove volleyball team is playing its 5A area-round match at 6 p.m. Friday at Waco Robinson. Regional meets for cross country are Saturday, with the Killeen boys returning to the 4A Region IV meet at Brooks City Base Golf Course in San Antonio. Also running in the meet are Lampasas' Tiffany Fagg and Ashley Moore.

The Ellison boys lead the area contingent in the 5A Region II meet at Vandergriff Park in Arlington, along with the Harker Heights boys and girls, Belton girls, and Cove's Derwin Graham, the 12-5A winner.