This past January, athletic directors and coaches from Roanoke Catholic and North Cross announced plans to resume their football rivalry on August 26 following a seven-year drought.
The big game opens the door for more than just a renewed rivalry, though. North Cross Coach Stephen Alexander and Roanoke Catholic Coach Bob Price have seized the opportunity to rebuild relations among the teams by scheduling a joint community service project on Saturday, August 20 from 10 am – 1 pm.
The North Cross and Roanoke Catholic football teams will be meeting near the Gainsboro Library for a community service project focused on the beautification of the Gainsboro area. The teams will be split into groups, intermixed with each other, and sent to separate locations in the area. The teams will have a cookout at the library after their projects are complete.
Coach Alexander and Coach Price issued the following statement regarding the joint effort:
“Ultimately, we would like the football programs to be leaders in developing an athletic rivalry that is positive and important to each school. Leaders in both schools would agree that the athletic relationship has some wounds to heal and some progress to be made. We do not expect a morning of downtown beautification to solve all the problems associated with the North Cross-Roanoke Catholic rivalry. We do hope, however, that it is a first step in the process. Each school has a noble mission, caring adults pursuing that mission, and great kids in its respective student body. The schools should benefit from being associated with each other and competing with each other in athletics.”
The football programs are teaming with the Gainsborough Southwest Community Organization and the Historic Gainsboro Preservation District for this community service event.
Alex Hash, Community Outreach Coordinator and Assistant Football Coach for North Cross School, coordinated the details of the project and reached out to local leaders for the event. Matt Peck, Athletic Director at Roanoke Catholic, and Michael Hemphill, Director of Marketing at RCS, were also instrumental in organizing and promoting the event.
