by Tim Smith
The football players, coaches, spirit groups and drum line for Cedar Creek, along with parents and administrators, met at the center of Cougar Stadium on Thursday afternoon prior to the jamboree to continue what they hope will become a lasting tradition.
They gathered in a circle, surrounding the players’ helmets, which had been placed in the center of the field. Known as the “Blessing of the Helmets,” it is an intentional gathering to pray for spiritual strength, guidance and physical protection throughout the upcoming football season.
With perhaps unexpected reverence, the players, still dressed in practice uniforms, knelt, joined arms and quietly bowed their heads. In the sweltering late-afternoon heat, the group joined in prayers led by retired teacher and coach Tim Smith, coaching staff chaplain Nick McVay and Dr. Reggie Bridges, pastor of Temple Baptist Church.
The origin of the “Blessing” is thought to date back at least to the 1990s and became a tradition primarily in Christian schools. Cedar Creek head coach Jacob Angevine introduced the ceremony last year when he took the helm at Cedar Creek with the intention of setting the tone and focus for the upcoming season on what is most important.
“Any time you can root anything in prayer and the good Lord above, you are going to have a good thing going. It doesn’t matter what it is. It can be a relationship, a team or whatever else. … It shows what kind of community we have at Cedar Creek,” Angevine said.
Football is serious business in Louisiana, and Ruston-Lincoln Parish is no exception. But in the end, for students, parents, schools and communities, it is just a game and only part of the education and training we desire for our youth.
Cedar Creek has committed to a Christian-based education program, with the desire to lead students to understand that a life devoted to Christ is primary to all other aspects of life. The school is making a commitment to start the season with prayers for protection, unity, strength, patience and respect.
“When a coach and a school make the decision to seek God through prayer and seek His guidance and protection, it says a lot about the attitude of faith that we see growing in this school and in the community,” Bridges said. “I think we are seeing a stirring among the young people of our country and in this community, and this is evidence of that stirring of faith.”
The Cougars will fight to win every single play, but ultimately the focus is more about who the kids are and who they become than what they can do on Friday night under the lights.
