PICKENS COUNTY, Ga. — There was an unfamiliar face gracing the court at a Pickens County basketball game this week.
Among a group of cheerleaders performing stunts in miniskirts and holding pom-poms was a man clad in a deputy uniform.
Deputy Kevin Roach, a school resource deputy, decided to pick up a pair of cheerleading poms himself and join the squad at Pickens High School in Jasper in the midst of their performance.
Although he didn't quite have the routine down, the crowd at the game still applauded, appreciating his effort to show some school spirit.
The Pickens County Sheriff's Office posted the heartwarming moment to Facebook on Wednesday, complimenting Roach's ability to make a difference at the school.
"Deputy Roach added some pom-poms to his duty gear. He’s showing what being 'Determined to Make a Difference' is all about as a School Resource Officer," the sheriff's office wrote.
Roach said he's been in law enforcement for more than 30 years.
"I used to say the best time I had or the best job I had was a drill instructor in the military, but that has been overtaken by my time here at the high school," Roach said.
It wasn't his first time cheering with the team. He said the cheerleading squad often asks him to join them during games. He didn't even have to learn a routine.
"Everything I did was on my own," Roach chuckled. "They won't teach me. They won't throw me up. They won't let me do any splits."
Irena Faber, a senior at Pickens High and the captain of the cheerleading team, said Roach has been a friend at the school, always available for students to rely on.
"That's just something that I love and that we all love about him, and we just wouldn't know what to do without him," Faber said.
He told 11Alive he loves his school and loves to make people smile, his performance was just another example of that.