Football team responds to plea for help from Clarksville

(Above) The Clear Lake football team traveled to Clarksville on Monday to help with the flood effort there.  Chris Arians, a CLHS graduate and current Clarksville football coach sent out a plea for help and the Lions responded.  -Submitted photo

Teamwork was on display Monday, as 16 members of the Clear Lake football program traveled to Clarksville to help those affected by flooding.

Chris Arians, a graduate of Clear Lake High School who played on the Lions’ State teams from 2005-07 and currently serves as the head football coach in Clarksville, said he was thankful to have some relief for his football players, who had been putting in eight to 13 hour days since Thursday.

Arians used social media late Saturday night to issue a plea for help:

“Our town has faced record floods and record damage,” wrote Arians.  I have had 25 percent of my team having to evacuate their homes since last Thursday.  We rescheduled our game last Friday for Monday, but I’m afraid our community won’t have the help it needs that day with the football team out of town.  I am a young head coach and I don’t have a lot of contacts, but our community needs help, and I hate asking for it, but we need it.”

Clear Lake coaches and players quickly responded and enthusiastically stepped in, giving the Clarksville team a chance to prepare for their Monday night game.  They boarded a bus early Monday and spent the day raking corn stalks out of yards, moving appliances, and hauling water soaked debris from houses.

“The water has receded and the community is hard at work.  It seemed like every house had a crew hard at work,” said Clear Lake Head Football Coach Jared DeVries, who accompanied 14 players to Clarksville.  “I think the kids were taken aback by what they saw.  The residents were extremely grateful for the help.  It was a real experience to take in with them.”

Arians reports three out of the four quadrants of the town are now able to use their water normally, meaning they can shower, flush a toilet and use their fau

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cets.  

“However, the battle is only starting, as many people are going to have to start over again for the second time in eight years.  There are still some houses that have water in the basement that we cannot get into yet, but we are coming along.  Another big positive is that the school opened back up today (Tuesday, Sept. 27).”

The Clarksville schools were not impacted by the flood, but Arians noted five of his football players were forced to evacuate their homes when the levee broke on Thursday.  “I believe they are back in their homes at this point, but some might be living with other family, or in someone’s camper still,” he added.

Those willing to help with flood relief in Clarksville are asked to contact the non-emergency number at the Clarksville Fire Department, 319-278-1180.

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