Imagine, if you can, a force of nature so powerful and fierce that its impact devastates municipalities and demoralizes the inhabitants left in its wake. Hurricane Michael was predicted to be a Category 2 storm, but by the time it made landfall it was close to Category 5. The monster storm carved a path of destruction through Florida's panhandle and Southwest Georgia, permanently scaring the land as well as some of the hearts and minds of those who survived it.

One week later the people of the Florida panhandle and Southwest Georgia are slowly picking up the pieces. It’s the beginning stage of a recovery and rebuild that will take months and years for some. While others who managed to evacuate will decide to start anew in their place of refuge. No power and no running water means no lights, no showers and no hot meals. 

Jim Morrell is the GHSA Secretary for Region 1 in Southwest Georgia and says that the people are leaning on each other. "The National Guard is passing out bottled water, and people are grilling on the sidewalks to pass out meals to people in need," says Morrell. "People come together and take care of each other, that's what makes the south so great. Unfortunately, it takes a disaster for us to get along sometime."

In times of trouble, when tragedies come to small communities, high school sports is often an important component of the salve that helps to heal the wounds. Sadly, in parts of the panhandle and Southwest Georgia, that won't be possible. Schools have no power, facilities are badly damaged and fields have been left unplayable. 

"I'm from Louisiana and I have seen high wind damage, but never a direct hit like this," says Mitchell County Coach Deshawn Brock. "Our goalposts are down, our scoreboard is down, our fieldhouse was flooded and our shoulder pads now have mold on them."

Even in the face of a disaster, there is a reality for the teams in the area stricken by the storm, all games must be completed by the weekend of Nov. 2. The Georgia High School Association has locked down Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the weekend of Dec. 7-8. Remember, it was weather that caused problems for football in a stadium with a roof on top last year. Now there are teams in Southwest Georgia who have players in other parts of the state and other parts of the country. Sure they would still love to have a chance to play in the home of the Atlanta Falcons, but somehow it doesn't seem as important as it did before last Thursday.

Metro Atlanta seems a world away, but high school athletics has its own built-in support system. A storm named Michael has provided a family with an opportunity to put its bond into action. On this Football Friday in Georgia, the Lambert Longhorns will visit the West Forsyth Wolverines. Before gameday arrives Coach Louis Daniel and his team have a mission to fulfill. 

"A coach on our staff, Aubrey Moree is from South Georgia, and knows a lot of people affected by the disaster," says Daniel. "While I don’t personally know anyone with whom he spoke, there is a special bond between coaches, teachers and student athletes, so we naturally wanted to help. Coach Moree reached out to a few friends and coaches he has known over the years, and they gave him a list of items needed. Lambert High School is blessed to be in a community who wants to help, so we jumped at the opportunity."

Meanwhile on Atlanta's southside two of the top teams in Class 5A are gearing up for a region showdown . First place in Region 4-5A will be on the line when No. 3-ranked Stockbridge hosts No. 5 Dutchtown this Friday night, but there is more. The game will also provide an opportunity to help with hurricane relief. Those attending are encouraged to bring non-perishable items to contribute to the Hurricane Michael relief effort. "We have a teacher whose family was directly affected by the storm," says Stockbridge Head Coach Kevin Whitley. "We just wanted to do something. The kids wanted to bring things in, and it just went from there."

Kevin Whitley knows what the students victimized by the storm are going through. He was coaching at Creekside when Hurricane Katrina slammed New Orleans in 2005. A large number of evacuees landed in Fairburn and at Creekside. "We had so many kids who were displaced from New Orleans," remembers Whitley. "We were feeding kids and some would eat lunch and stay later to eat dinner. They had just come up from New Orleans and most of them were staying in hotels." 

If the football field is an extension of the classroom, the players from Stockbridge and Dutchtown are about to learn an important life lesson. The game is expected to be perhaps the biggest regular season game ever in Henry County. Tiger's junior quarterback Javon McDonald is excited about the game and what the evening will represent. "It's showing that it's not just about football, but we have heart," says McDonald. "We are not just concerned about football, but we are also concerned about others and we want to help out. We know that people are going through a tough time after the hurricane, so we want to help them get back on their feet."  

The efforts being made by Lambert and Stockbridge are likely to be matched by other schools around the state in the coming weeks. Folks down in the panhandle and Southwest Georgia may be amazed that people in Metro Atlanta are taking the time to show them support, but not Jim Morrell.

"It just tickles me to death to know that there are people up there who are reaching out to do this," says Morrell. "In athletics it doesn't matter if you are in Sneads (Fla.) or Miller County. There's no black kids or white kids, and no Democrats or Republicans. You're all a team and you work together for the common goal and right now the common goal is survival." 

Don't forget that this week Football Fridays In Georgia will come to you from Raider Valley in Cobb County. It will be Roswell visiting Walton in a battle for first place in Region 4-7A. It gets started with the All Access Pass at 7pm with Kick off at 7:30 p.m. on the Great GPB!