South Aiken football players greet local elementary students

AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - For most high school football players, Fridays are about heading to the pep rally and playing on the gridiron.

For the South Aiken High School football team, they start their Friday mornings smiling and supporting our local elementary students.

We caught up with them this morning for the weekly tradition that is just returning since the pandemic.

This is how Chris Hamilton and the South Aiken Thoroughbreds start their gamedays.

“They’ve got to get up here at 7:00 in the morning. It’s early, but I tell them these kids look at them, and they might as well be NFL stars to them,” said Hamilton.

Sophomore Jaquel Holman is doing this for the first time.

“It just makes our day also,” he said.

They couldn’t visit elementary schools the last two seasons because of COVID.

“It just makes us happy on game day, giving them high fives, seeing everybody smile,” he said.

Hamilton said: “It’s a little thing that we can do, get up a little early, come out here and open doors. It’s a little thing that makes the day go better for them and makes our day too.”

Hamilton says they visit Millbrook, Chukker Creek, and East Aiken School of the Arts every Friday.

This team and these kids start their Fridays with smiles.

Copyright 2022 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.