Port Charlotte High School back on the field 1 year after Hurricane Ian

Hurricane Ian ripped away Friday night football games for some a year ago. A year later, one team got back on the field after Ian.

One thing that has the power to hold a community together is high school football. 

Players, coaches, parents, cheerleaders and the marching band. The list of people that make Friday night lights special goes on and on. 

“My wife and I kayaked back to our house the next day, so it was nerve-racking. We got to the street and thought everything was gone, ” said Port Charlotte football coach Jordan Ingman.

Thankfully, Ingman and his family made it through the storm OK. Ingram was a player himself when Hurricane Charley hit Charlotte County, so he knew what to expect.

“Our focus and direction changed immediately because we had so many kids who were displaced. Just worrying about where they were going to sleep was the main priority,” said Ingman.

The team didn’t have a weight room to train, so the players improvised. They put weights on the tennis court and underneath a tent.

“I strongly disliked it. They all disliked it, but it’s kind of necessary. It kind of added a little grit to our team because nobody else in Southwest Florida was working out on a tennis court underneath a circus tent,” said Port Charlotte defensive athlete Eric Bell.

The field at Port Charlotte High School looks a lot different than just a year ago. The pirates held it together and thanks to a lot of hard work, they got to play at home again, just weeks after the hurricane.

This is home to the pirate football team, so it meant the world to them to step back on this field and play the game they love.

“It was electric. None of us thought we were going to play on our field again at least that year,” said Port Charlotte left tackle Jayce Marcon.