'A Sense Of Normalcy For Our Kids': Barnsdall Coach Ready For First Home Game After Tornado

Friday night is Barnsdall High School's first home game since an EF-4 tornado hit the town last spring. They're hosting Oklahoma Union.

It’s the season opener for the Panthers, which is exciting, but this one just means more. After an EF-4 tornado ripped through the east side of Barnsdall back in May, it was devastating for the community to pick up the pieces of the town they called home.

Their summer turned into a rebuild of what’s been lost. News On 6 spoke with head football coach Kylee Sweeney this week about what this game means. He said this community knows how to show up for some football and the excitement it’s brought since the tragedy.

“It's just getting back to that sense of normalcy. We're back in school, back in normal feeling situation. You know, when you drive around town, you know it's still there. The part driving out to Bartlesville is basically gone. You see the empty lots over there now and stuff like that. As far as football, definitely a sense of normalcy for our kids. Getting back into school. Just getting ready for this first game, definitely going to be excited for that.”

You can feel the excitement in the air as this town shows up for one another and the team said they’re expecting a packed house Friday night as they take on Oklahoma Union at 7.