CLINTON, Tennessee — For years, Clinton High School has provided the community with a chance to come together over the love of football.
"These people, I've never seen a community rally behind a group of kids like these people have. And they get fired up," said Head Coach Jake Dawson.
But the team is no stranger to highs and lows, from major wins and losses, to fighting for Civil Rights and dealing with a player eligibility and grade-changing scandal.
The team has held its special place in the community through it all, and has played a key role in the school's history.
During the Civil Rights movement and integration of Clinton High School, it was the football team who was asked to help keep the peace.
"They organized patrols where they would stand at critical corners of the hallway during class changes, and try to keep the peace," said Rachel Louise Martin, an author and historian.
Martin said that even though the team was divided on how to handle the situation, many members still stepped up to help.
"They believed that the role that they were playing, as leaders of their community, was to encourage peace, to encourage fairness, and to take care of the people around them. And they decided to do it and I have a lot of respect for that," she said.
And that attitude has carried throughout the decades, even in recent years when the school has faced difficulties and change.
The 25-year-old commends the team for their ability to roll with the punches.
"Our kids are doing an incredible job as we kind of shift the focus and direction of the program. Our kids are doing a great job in kind of helping see that through," said Dawson.
Dawson said that because of the players who came before, the team is the way it is today.
"People that have played here, everyone that's played here, we're going to make sure they feel like they're highlighted and extremely appreciated for what they've done."
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