High school athletes help with muscle, brains

High school athletes were quick to provide assistance to evacuees.|

When Petaluma became evacuation central for families who had to flee from their homes last week, area athletes provided not only brawn but brains to help families seeking shelter.

Casa Grande High School was turned into a shelter and Gaucho football players were quick to respond not only with strength, but also with quick-thinking improvisation.

“When I put the word out that we needed help, some of the players got there even before I did,” said Casa Grande football coach Denis Brunk.

Many of the players helped set up a shelter in the school gym. Some, realizing that the gym was a long walk from the main entrance to the school, took it on themselves to take water and beverages to the front of the school to hand to evacuees as they arrived.

“They turned the school library into a hotel almost on their own,” Brunk reported of his players. “It was beautiful the way everyone pitched in to help.”

The Casa players were assisted by a number of players from Petaluma High School, not only providing help for fire victims, but also tightening the bonds between the two teams.

Petaluma High football coach Rick Krist said he wasn’t sure all the places his football players and other Trojan athletes helped.

“They were all over town,” he said. “I know some were at the Cavanaugh Center, some were at the fairgrounds and some were at Casa. They were just all over town.”

St. Vincent coach Gary Galloway said he, also, was uncertain where the Mustangs ended up serving, but he estimated that 90 percent of his team helped somewhere in town.

Some St. Vincent players came up from Novato to help Petalumans serve evacuees from Santa Rosa.

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