How the Mayfield High School Football Team Helped in the Wake of Disaster

It was all good vibes, big cheers, and uplifting marching band music when the Mayfield High School Cardinals football team appeared on NBC’s Today Show in October to talk about that evening’s homecoming game. But the joy behind those smiles runs a lot deeper than a good – sorry, great – football team on a big day. Because just a few short years earlier the small town of Mayfield, Kentucky was devastated by a tornado, and at the heart of the ongoing recovery efforts is a football program that just won’t quit.

The Disaster

Mayfield, a town of roughly 10,000 people in Western Kentucky, was hit with an EF-4 tornado on December 10, 2021, one that stayed on the ground for over three hours, covered 165 miles,  and caused an estimated $305 million in damage while ending as the deadliest tornado outbreak in the state’s history. 

Parts of Mayfield were left with nothing but piles of rubble and bricks where homes and businesses once stood – including the police and fire stations – while the death toll across the region rose to 80 people, including roughly 24 from Mayfield and the surrounding county.

The Recovery

After the damage was done the town of Mayfield quickly sprung into action, highlighted by the high school’s football team that worked together by pushing food and supplies to people in need around the community, as the high school itself served as a shelter in the immediate aftermath. On top of that, former Mayfield student-athletes and alumni helped support the program and school system as well.

But it wasn’t just the physical acts of help that the team provided, because they also brought a much-needed distraction for the town. Because sure enough, less than a year after their lives were ripped apart, Mayfield played for its 13th state title while their town was still in big-time rebuilding mode. And while the result wasn’t what they had hoped for – the 13th state title would come a year later in 2023 – the bigger picture is what really mattered. 

Current Cardinals football head coach Cliff Dew described to SportsEngine just how closely the football program and the town emulate each other.

“I think it's the fact that this town has rallied around the football team for so many years. We both feed off of each other… The football program takes pride in our community and the community takes pride in the football program,” Dew said. “This football program has always been known as a hard-nosed football program that never gives up, never backs down, and fights to the finish. The town has also embraced that mindset through the years. The support that is shown to each other is unmatched. You saw that firsthand after the tornado when everyone came together.”

The Town, and the Game, Will Go On

The Mayfield community has made progress in its recovery in the three years since the tornado, building nearly 200 homes and replacing municipal buildings with help from both individuals and organizations. However, high costs have slowed down what should be a complete rebuild.

But in a town that proudly boasts many residents who stay for life, the camaraderie that stems from the football team and into the community continues to burn bright, especially with the continued success that the team has demonstrated. 

Dew told SportsEngine that even though it's been several years since the tornado hit, the town still keeps fighting to recover.

“It's been a slow process but we'll get there because of the grit and determination of the people of Mayfield. The same way that the young men on our team show grit and determination on the football field,” he said. “The young men in our program and the people of this town are both winners, and that winning tradition and never say die attitude will carry on.  

To add to that sentiment, Mayfield Mayor Kathy O'Nan told TV station WPSD in Paducah, Kentucky that a tradition like football in their small town is “very important” because “it's the one thing we can rally around and be proud of. It's just another one of those bonds that ties our city of Mayfield together."

Life is bigger than sports, that much is true. But this story is proof that sometimes sports are just what people need to get through the highs and lows that this thing called life comes with.

“We know it's going to take time and we are still several years away from what I'd call ‘recovery.’  But this town will make it back, things will be rebuilt, and ultimately we will be better than before,” Dew said. “I tell our players all the time that the goal is to get better every day. As long as we are getting better every day, keeping our heads up, and making progress we'll be fine. I'll tell you this. The determination and never give up attitude of this football program and community are among the many reasons I am proud to be a Mayfield Cardinal!”

Watch the TODAY Show segment on Mayfield High School on SportsEngine Play