Compared to the volatile clashes between police and protesters that finally began to calm down earlier this week, the signs of a community still recovering from the Aug. 9 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown were remarkably subtle at Sumner High School's Tuskegee Airmen Field. With ESPN cameras following the team throughout the day, only about 50 Berkeley fans made it out to the school about 15 minutes southeast of their own.
Even fewer sat on the opposite side behind the bench of Cleveland Junior Naval Academy, which played as the home team and will go to Ferguson next season. The late arrival of the referees showed the effects of some confusion regarding the location and time of the game, which was moved up to beat the heat -- which it did, in the sense that it wasn't quite yet up to the 99 degrees that the St. Louis area would hit later in the day.
The extra stress and complications were nothing new for Brown, who said he ran out of gas on the way to McCluer South-Berkeley and had to walk the rest of the way to unlock the school and walk back before the team arrived. But an anonymous donor made things easier by providing a healthy breakfast of fruit, juice and bagels for the entire team before they were greeted with a friendly welcome in St. Louis.
"We got here early and we had some people in the neighborhood honking their horns," said Brown, a 1999 Berkeley graduate who took over the program in 2004, less than six months after he earned an English degree while playing nose tackle at Missouri. "That means a lot when people who don't know you personally saw your story on television and say, 'Man, we're supporting you guys and we're praying for you guys.'"
With schools in the Ferguson-Florissant School District closed all week, practices were moved to Independence Park just outside of Ferguson until the St. Louis Rams offered the use of their indoor facility. The Bulldogs couldn't join the other two high schools in the district -- McCluer and McCluer North -- in meeting the pros on Wednesday, but they took buses out to Rams Park in Earth City, Mo., for practice on Thursday and Friday.
Two football practices were canceled and district students have already missed what should have been their first seven days of school.
Senior captain Tuvone Clark said other than not going to class, his life hasn't been significantly affected by the events in Ferguson, though he has been concerned with much of what he's seen on the news.
"It's kind of hard to see somebody my age go like that," said Clark, an honors student who has received several offers to play linebacker at FCS schools. "But then it's even harder seeing people just sitting up there and then taking advantage of something that's not as serious as it needs to be."
Longtime athletic director Keith Rhodes received several calls from people looking to help out during the unrest, a positive sign that the community cares about the school. It hasn't always been that way since it moved from Berkeley to Ferguson in 2004.
It was a small crowd that watched McCluer South-Berkeley open its football season.
"I'm hoping out of everything, that once all of this has settled down, that this brings the school district and the community a lot closer," Rhodes said.
The few who attended the game Saturday were inclined to discuss the community's recent struggles. The game itself was a struggle for both fans and those on the field during one of the hottest days of the summer. Mental mistakes and cramps were prevalent on both sides before Cleveland forfeited with McCluer South-Berkeley leading, 40-0, after three quarters.
Brown didn't mention the shooting or the protests during a lengthy postgame speech, though an assistant reminded the players they'll be the first team in school history to be undefeated on the first day of classes. The Bulldogs should be back on their home field for practice Monday, when principal Steve Lawler said classes should finally begin.
"We understand things are going on in that community," Lawler said. "But we want them back. And talking to the kids, they're ready to come back."
You can follow Luke Thompson on Twitter at @FS_LukeT or email him at lukegthompson87@gmail.com.
