BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — The Apalachee High community will gather Friday night for the school's first home football game since the shooting that claimed the lives of two students and two teachers, one of them an assistant football coach.
The Wildcats will host Jackson County, and the school says it is expecting a "large crowd to cheer on our Wildcats as they take the home field again."
The school is also asking the public to save the limited tickets for families and students.
"We are kindly asking – if you do not have a player or performer on either team, please allow for the limited tickets to go to AHS and Jackson County High School families and students," a message on the school Facebook page said. "The game is the Georgia Public Broadcasting channel’s Game of the Week and will also be live-streamed on the AHS YouTube channel so all fans will be able to watch."
The school's YouTube channel can be found here. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson met with the football team weeks after the shooting and pledged to attend the first home football game, though it's unclear if he's still available to do that.
The shooting claimed the lives of math teacher Cristina Irimie and two students, Christian Angulo and Mason Schermerhorn, as well as assistant football coach Richard "Ricky" Aspinwall II, also a math teacher.
The 39-year-ol was was known as “Coach A” to players and remembered as the ultimate “girl dad,” taking immense pride in his role as a father and being deeply involved in his daughters’ lives.
Aspinwall left behind a legacy of service to his students and players, as well as an unwavering love for his family, his obituary reads in part.
Born in Riverdale, Georgia, Aspinwall graduated from Rome High School and attended Valdosta State University, where he majored in accounting. He later earned his master’s degree and a specialist degree in education. His teaching career spanned multiple schools, including Haralson County High School, Mountain View High School, and Apalachee High School.
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