Army National Guard honors Georgia's Apalachee High School football squad with major honor following tragedy-stricken season

The Apalachee High School football team has been recognized as one of the Army National Guard’s "Next Greatest Generation Teams of the Year" for its resilience and unity. The distinction follows its response to the heartbreaking loss of assistant coach Richard Aspinwall after a tragic shooting at the school in September.

On Sept. 4, a shooting at the school in Winder, Georgia, claimed the lives of two students, Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, along with two teachers, Christina Irimie and Aspinwall. The attack also injured nine others, leaving the community in shock and mourning.

Aspinwall, a math teacher and the team’s assistant coach and defensive coordinator, left behind a profound legacy.

To honor Aspinwall’s memory, the Wildcats dedicated their season to him, wearing “Coach A” shirts under their uniforms. Athletic director Ralph Neely praised the team’s strength in facing unimaginable adversity.

“The challenges these young men have endured over the last year have been overwhelmingly tough, but they are learning how to handle those challenges with strength and grace,” he said. “We have a long road ahead of us in the healing process.

"Knowing that others, both locally and nationally, are there to support us and celebrate with us the small steps of progress is extremely helpful."

Neely appealed to everyone to never stop revering Aspinwall, calling him a role model.

"Being able to continue to recognize Coach Aspinwall is a big part of our recovery process," Neely said. "His mentorship of our football players is his strongest legacy. Coach A epitomized being a husband, father, teacher and coach, and our young men were shown that order of priorities through him.”

Despite the Wildcats finishing with a 1-9 record, their perseverance and character earned them national recognition.

Father of teen accused in Apalachee high school shooting granted $500,000 bond

Colin Gray, the father of 14-year-old Colt Gray, who is alleged to have made the killing spree at Apalachee High School, was set free on Feb. 11 after being held in jail for a long period by a Barrow County Superior Court justice.

The release was posted at $500,000 — a commitment to half of what the madams had demanded. Gray last appeared in court in September but did not attend his November arraignment, where his attorneys entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf. Prosecutors allege that he purchased the firearm used in the attack, along with a tactical vest and ammunition for his son.

Judge Nicholas Primm acknowledged the deep pain felt by the victims' families but said that legal considerations, not emotions, guided his decision.

“In an ordinary case, a defendant’s given the bond, he makes the bond, he returns to the community, essentially unnoticed by anyone," Primm said. "That’s not what would happen here. This case is an open sore. It’s a wound that continues to hurt the community.”

Gray must pay 10% of his bond in cash and is prohibited from contacting witnesses. Meanwhile, his son’s jury trial has been postponed, with a status conference scheduled for May.