A town's return to normality
PARADISE, Calif. - A flattened town rose again Friday night, finding its breath on the backs of a high school football team that furiously carried it toward hope.
The Paradise High Bobcats' first touchdown of their rebirth season was scored by a player who moments earlier had vomited on the field.
"The puking felt real," said Lukas Hartley. "Everything else felt like a dream."
Their second touchdown was scored by a player who turned pale after plopping down on the bench to catch his breath.
"I get the ball, my heart was racing, I get into the end zone, my heart is still racing," said Mason Cowan. "It was the perfect night."
It was a night of hitting and healing, of howls and tears, filled with mourning and magic. Afterward, perfect indeed, it ended as a night when a decimated mountain community and its beloved football team came together for one more roaring proclamation of life.
As Coach Rick Prinz was about to give his celebratory speech on the field to the Bobcats after their 42-0 victory over Williams, he noticed some townsfolk lingering on the edge of their group. They were among the 5,000 who had crammed together
