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With several Mohave Valley River Valley football players having family members who have served in Afghanistan or in the military now, it was important for them to honor the 13 U.S. servicemen who were killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan.
Team captain Zach Hammett led 35 players carrying American flags onto the field. After the national anthem was performed, there was a moment of silence for those who lost their lives.
Then, Hammett handed 13 flags to student council members who draped the flags over 13 empty seats in the Anderson Auto Group Fieldhouse, the team’s home stadium.
“A lot of our boys are in military families,” coach Jonathan Clark said. “Some have lost family members in Afghanistan. We partnered with local law enforcement to get flags donated. Our boys coordinated with cheerleaders, student government, our administration to make this happen.
“I am extremely proud of my boys for coming up with this idea and following through on it. They did a great job.”
A former River Valley football coach, Mike (Sammut) Belpedio, a Mohave County sheriff for 29 years, approached senior running back Hammett about honoring the soldiers.
Hammett’s grandfather, father and uncle served in the military and he has a brother who is currently in the Marines.
Belpedio is friends with a local mortuary operator and asked if he could get American flags for the tribute.
Belpedio’s girlfriend’s son hangs out with Hammett, so he knew him.
“I saw in the Midwest, they did something similar,” Belpedio said. “I ran into Coach Clark at the grocery story and asked him how many players he was going to suit up Friday. He said 35. I said (to the mortuary owner) to get me 35 flags. I reached out to Zach and he was excited. They got it approved by the administration.
“Some of the kids had brothers or sisters or family members who are vets in the military.”
Hammett’s mom is the cheer coach and she did the same thing with the cheer team who put together a fallen soldiers banner, which the players ran through.
“All I added was reserving 13 seats above the 50-yard line as a memorial,” said Hammett, who went on to run for 250 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Chandler Arizona College Prep. “As soon as he asked, I was all in for it.
“I knew it would mean a lot to a lot of people. It especially meant a lot to me, as my grandpa, my uncle, my dad and my brother have all served and are serving.”
To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at [email protected] or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter @azc_obert.
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