Dixie County residents using football to move forward after Idalia

CROSS CITY, Fla. (WCJB) - The stage was set for the first home high school football game in Dixie County after Idalia, and the only thing out of the ordinary was the day the game was played.

Monday night, The Dixie County Bears took on the Trenton Tigers in a game that was rescheduled in late August. This contest, like many other things, was pushed after Idalia swept through the Nature Coast knocking down trees, ruining homes, and turning the electricity off on most of these residents for days. Dixie County Athletic Director Brent Wilkerson says those few days were the worst of the bunch.

“This one at the very beginning was pretty bad for the first few days. There was a lot of trees down, especially at our coastal communities, Suwannee, Horseshoe Beach, Steinhatchee, those places got hit pretty bad and those kids took the most damage,” said Wilkerson.

It was just the football time preparing to perform on short rest, The Dixie County High School band, or Redcoat Regiment, also put their best foot forward during their performance of this year’s half-time show titled, “Voodoo.” Band Director William Malloy is a lifelong county resident who is proud to continue to grow the program even through these tough times.

“For a lot of these kids, me and my staff are their support structure. So not seeing us for that time period and then getting back involved. A lot of them are settling back into what they are doing, we are having to stay more on top of the little things, making sure grades are up and everybody is staying on top of their business,” said Malloy.

The band and football team took care of business on the field and in the stands. The Bears won 42-0, marking a successful return to Bruce Boyette Stadium.

Related story: Trenton vs. Dixie County highlights. https://www.wcjb.com/2023/09/19/monday-hs-football-dixie-county-earns-third-straight-win-over-trenton-42-0/

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