KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Jon Netherland strides into the conference room at Austin-East Magnet High School, a light blue suitcase (complete with Jessica Simpson logo) in tow. One by one, he pulls out the spoils of the previous year’s boys’ soccer season. There are the plaques commemorating the district, regional and Division I/Class A State titles. Then there are the proclamations from Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and the Tennessee State Senate.
“These are my children,” he says.
The trophies or his players?
“Both,” he says with a gentle laugh, “I guess I can give them back now.”
Netherland shouts to the school’s principal, Tammi Campbell, who is in an adjoining room. “We’re going to have to get a new trophy case! It’s completely full, and that’s a good problem to have.”
But Netherland’s cheerfulness masks the tragedy he and the school endured amid the team’s championship run. During the first part of 2021, when the soccer team’s dreams were fulfilled, five Austin-East students died from gun violence. One of the deaths was an officer-related shooting that happened on campus.
“These were their friends, their classmates, people they went to school with since elementary,” says Netherland about those victims and their relationships with his players. “As a coach and as teachers, I think seeing that grief, and in the end, and not really knowing in real time how to alleviate it because it was continuous for a second. That was the most hurtful. These kids here are strong, and they’re resilient.”
‘Good things come out of here’
There is a comfortable, small city feel to Knoxville. The rolling hills are lush, and on this October day, the fall colors are just beginning to peek through. There is…
Source : espn
