It's been a trying week for the football team at Division II Valdosta State. The Blazers are located in Valdosta, Ga.—a city in Georgia rocked by Hurricane Helene's arrival on Sept. 26.
However, another college team in the state has come to Valdosta State's aid—Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have offered the Blazers the use of their practice facility as their community recovers, while Georgia State is housing Valdosta State's players in spare dormitories.
The Blazers are scheduled to play Shorter in Rome, Ga. on Saturday.
“Our community is hurting right now. We can’t hide that. We can’t lie about that,” Valdosta State coach Tremaine Jackson told WSB-TV in Atlanta Thursday.
Helene has killed over 200 people and caused $28 billion worth of damage.
Humorously, Georgia Tech posted a message on social media urging fans not to fear the presence of a team wearing red and black—Georgia's colors—on campus.
If you saw a football team wearing red and black on campus, don't worry about it.@GeorgiaTechFB offered Valdosta State @BlazerAthletics practice space this week so they could prepare for their game on Saturday in the wake of Hurricane Helene. #WeCanDoThat🐝 #GoBlazers🔥 pic.twitter.com/d931WYv68p
— Georgia Tech (@GeorgiaTech) October 4, 2024
The Blazers, at 4-0, are ranked No. 3 in the Division II coaches poll.
"We want everybody to be okay. The people in our community wanted us to go play," Jackson said, referring to Valdosta State's game Saturday. "They’ve been supportive about it."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Georgia Tech Offers D-II Valdosta State Use of Football Facility After Helene Damage.