Being residents of the First Coast and residents of Florida in general, it’s not unusual for a hurricane or tropical storm to pop up on the local radar. It’s a different story when a hurricane is a Category 3 storm that’s barreling near your home. For Pedro Menendez High School and their football team, it was an eye-opening and unifying experience.
Pedro Menendez is the southern-most high school in St. Johns County. Located within 10 miles of Crescent Beach and just a 15-minute drive to the Historic District of downtown St. Augustine, everyone at or near the school knew to hunker down and prepare for the worst.
The night before landfall near the First Coast, Hurricane Matthew was a Category 4 with winds upward of 115 mph. The school itself is a hurricane shelter, so many at the school were preparing to make the school inhabitable for over 250 people. During the lead-up to the storm, Pedro Menendez had actually reached capacity, and another nearby school had to be opened up as a storm shelter as well. The storm hit on a Friday, game day for many. The games wound up being canceled and rescheduled. Head coach Patrick Turner knew this was a serious storm. He wished his players and staff to stay safe and to come back Monday for practice.
“We left Wednesday, October 5 and didn’t return until the 11,” Turner said. “Rather than having a few practices to hone in on some things, we were able to have one that Tuesday.”
The Falcons at that point were 1-5 and in the midst of a five-game losing streak. But that wasn’t the only thing they were trying to recover from. Up until the Tuesday they returned to school, people were still living in the shelter. For some, they had no homes to go back to. The damage sustained by the beaches and homes near the coast was monumental. Some roads even washed completely away.
The Falcons had some damage at the school as well. They lost their scoreboard due to the high winds. The practice fields were damp and soggy, not ideal to practice on. The road leading up to the school had trees down. Then of course came the issue everyone in the area was having to deal with: no electricity. The players were tired from the cleanup efforts at the school and at teammates’ houses. Four players lost their homes. Even the Principal was out of his home. But no one quit. That’s St. Augustine Strong.
“This hurricane was a representation of any team: You battle through,” Turner said.
Pedro Menendez had to have a quick turnaround. They had three practices to prepare for Palatka, a bitter rival. But against all odds, the Falcons snapped their losing streak and defeated Palatka 31-29 in their first game at home since Hurricane Matthew. Turner made sure his team could build off their tremendous effort.
“We escaped with a sigh of relief, but we weren’t done,” Turner said. “The message then became ‘Keep fighting!’”
Since then, the Falcons have done just that. They finished the season winning three of their next four games, including a three-game winning streak. After all the adversity the team faced, some positive came out of the scenario. Players were taken from their homes; the oldest city took its blows. But this team became a representation of the city. They never quit. They never turned their heads back.
“There is no quit in this team,” Turner said. “For some of these kids, football is all they have, literally.”
The school may have few obstacles to overcome when it comes to fixing the scoreboard and other necessities for the football program. But when the city needed it most, the team lifted their spirits and fought just like the town had. Everyone came together for one cause. Everyone was St. Augustine Strong.
Pedro Menendez: St. Augustine Strong
Written by: Ryan Hutchins
