Two years winless. That’s the record the Habersham Central High School Raiders Varsity Football Team was up against Friday when they took to the field against the Raiders of North Forsyth. It seemed all bets were against them until the MOB stepped in.
MOB MOMs, an acronym for Mothers of Boys becoming Mothers of Men, was formed eight weeks ago by Tamora Black. Her son Bennett is the Raiders’ starting quarterback. She says she started the group, “…because I believe that we are a good football team but I wasn’t sure the players believed that.”
Black sent an email to team mothers after the third game – and third loss – of the season inviting them to a gathering at Raider Stadium to discuss ways they could encourage their sons. The first week 27 moms showed up. The group has steadily grown and its mission has evolved since then. Today, the group’s weekly gatherings are a hybrid pep rally/prayer group and moms aren’t the only ones attending. Grandmothers and coaches’ wives joined soon after the group formed and three weeks ago players were invited to attend. They’ve been coming ever since.
MOB MOM Janet Kinsey whose son Mason is a wide receiver and cornerback says the group has been a blessing to her and her family. “Being a MOB MOM is my opportunity to express my Raider Pride,” Kinsey says. “It allows my two sons to witness their mom’s words in action when they hear me pray over their teammates and coaches. I want my sons to watch my faith grow with theirs…thus, our motto: Believe in the talents God has given you and NEVER give up.”
Never give up. It’s a motto that rings true for Habersham Central’s boys in orange and blue. Up until Friday they were winless under head Coach Michael Pollock. Their losing streak stretched over 107 weeks, 750 days. Until Friday they hadn’t won a game since October 12, 2012. It takes a lot of character to hang in there with a record like that, but they did. For the past two years the HCHS Raiders have continued to practice hard and play hard. Their effort may not have shown on the scoreboard until Friday but it was there all along and their mothers, and others, knew it.
Kinsey says a player from another team messaged her son after one game this season telling him how impressed he and his teammates were by the Raiders’ and their fans’ team spirit.
Of course, not everyone’s a fan. There’s been plenty of criticism from within the community about the Raiders’ losing streak over the past two years. That’s sports; a mixed bag of loyal and fair weather fans. And while the negativity may be understandable, it’s unacceptable to the MOB.
Habersham’s varsity football team members range in age from 14-18. They may look big on the field but they’re still just boys who are becoming men. “They had no choice in building a large school, no choice in being in 6A, no choice about the schedule they play,” Black says in the team’s defense. “Our Raiders just wanted to play football and they deserve our support.” Kinsey adds, “We want the community to know what integrity our football players have. The scoreboard doesn’t reflect what character and tenacity these young men possess. The true victory is when varsity football players voluntarily line up hand in hand with MOB MOMs and walk the football field, end zone to end zone, praying. The humility that comes from a losing season can be the fertile soil God needs for a perfect harvest. We have already had prayers answered.”
MOB MOMs clearly has been an answer to prayer for Sonya Hix of Alto. Her son, Easton Singleton, died in a car wreck in 2012. Singleton was a junior at HCHS and a football player. His death stunned the local community and spurred the creation of the Easton Foundation, a non-profit that provides grief counseling, team-building and leadership mentoring opportunities for teens in Habersham County. Hix says she loved being the mother of a Raider and though her son is now gone she says, “It is a blessing to share God’s love and pray for and encourage these boys. It has been great to get to know the players and their moms. I loved being a mom, now I can be a MOB MOM to many.”
It’s that strong sense of Raider unity that binds MOB MOMs together. Mothers of Raiders, past and present, know better than anyone the challenges their sons face and the hurdles they have to overcome every Friday night in the Fall.
This past Friday night the HCHS Raiders overcame one of their biggest hurdles as a team when they snapped their 21-game losing streak. And while the smell of victory still lingers sweet in the air the Raiders and MOB MOMs know it’s about more than just winning a football game, it’s about winning at life!
