Hannah-Pamplico football team embraces unity in project

PAMPLICO, S.C. — When Hannah-Pamplico’s football team helped Saturday with Pamplico’s “It Starts with One” park cleanup day, football coach/athletic director Jamie Johnson believes his players took home more than just a sense of accomplishment.

It was also a sense of enlightenment.

“Basically, we are trying to spin a positive light on racial and religious equality, to put all differences aside and come together as one to help the community,” said Johnson, who has held both H-P positions since 2016.

Johnson said 29 of his 36 players showed up to work on projects at the Fifth Avenue and Second Avenue parks.

“We all had our masks on, and we worked together,” Johnson said.

While promoting the project to his players, Johnson talked about several things.

“One of our core values is pride, so we talked about having pride in the community and pride in the way we do things and pride in the way we look,” he said. “All of the players looked alike and wore their shirts and red shorts.

“And, it’s about pride in where they’re from. Remember where you’re from. Have pride in our equipment and pride in this program, which has come a long way in the past four or five years.”

At Fifth Avenue Park, the players helped clean the park and trim limbs. That’s the one with the basketball court, and that’s been painted with an outline of the state on it with a star added to indicate where Pamplico is located.

And at Second Avenue Park, tennis courts were also cleaned.

“People that don’t look alike can come together,” Johnson said. “You can put all your differences aside and respect everyone. You don’t want to see anybody treated unfairly because of what they look like.

“So, the great thing about Saturday was that kids of people of all colors showed up for the common goal of fixing up the parks.”