Johnson, Foster provide brief escape for Santa Fe players
Hunter Farris let his protective instincts take over when gunshots rang out during the horrific shooting episode at Santa Fe High School.
The rising senior offensive lineman and a friend shoved large pottery kilns across the art room to block doors. They prevented the shooter wearing a trenchcoat, 17-year-old Santa Fe student Dimitrios Pagourtzis, from entering the room as he brandished a shotgun and a revolver.
“We just reacted,” Farris said. “We pushed the ovens in front of the doors to keep him out. My friend did not make it out safely.”
In the process, Farris and his friend likely prevented the shooter from unleashing more violence during one of the deadliest school shootings in the United States this year. The incident claimed the lives of eight students and two teachers, with 13 others wounded.
Farris and 15 of his teammates got a much needed respite Sunday in the wake of the incredible terror they experienced at their school.
They spent hours Sunday learning football techniques and life lessons at a football camp called Lessons by Legends, hosted by retired Texans Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Johnson and running back Arian Foster and Nine Innovations.
“It’s a really humbling experience,” Farris said. “I think it helps bring our team together and feel better mentally. It’s kind of a therapeutic type of experience; that’s how I feel. It’s getting better. Stuff like this helps support us.
“I really appreciate it. It gets everything off your mind and makes your day a little bit better. I thought it was a great experience for all of the people from Santa Fe. We got to learn a lot that we can take back home and apply to our game, our field and our style of football. I really liked it.”
Getting back to normalcy
During the camp, Farris and his teammates worked handson with Johnson and Foster, who were instructing them along with former Texans defensive tackle Travis Johnson and linebacker Kailee Wong.
Former Texans Pro Bowl inside linebacker Brian Cushing attended the two-day camp with his son.
It marked the second time since the second-worst school shooting this year — the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., in February resulted in 17 deaths and 17 injuries — that the Santa Fe football team had been around the Texans’ players.
The entire Santa Fe team attended a Texans practice this spring.
“It’s awesome,” Santa Fe coach Mark Kanipes said. “The kids are enjoying themselves, and they’re really getting some work. Sports is definitely a good escape for these kids. We have a lot of kids here who were in that classroom and experienced what happened. It’s good for them to have some normalcy and get back to work.
“Football is special. Our whole program is based on life lessons. Sports teaches you to be on time, being dedicated, never giving up, giving it your all. How do you handle adversity? Hopefully, the lessons will help them out.”
As difficult as this situation has been during an arduous time of loss and dealing with the long grieving process ahead of them, the Santa Fe football players have taken comfort in the simple things like practicing their sport.
They’ve leaned on their parents, friends, coaches and counselors to talk about what’s weighing on their minds.
They've also spent a considerable amount of time preparing for their upcoming season.
Local teams reaching out
And it’s been significant for them to have so many people in the region reach out to them, including Texans star defensive end J.J. Watt’s offering to pay for funeral expenses for the victims’ families and the Rockets honoring them during the playoffs, and for professional athletes like Johnson and Foster to personally get involved.
“That just shows me the makeup and character of these teams,” Kanipes said. “It’s a tough deal, a tough situation. You see something like that on television, and you don’t think it will happen to you. When it does, you’re not really prepared for it.
“With all these teams, the Rockets and the Texans inviting them to be with them, it’s great. It shows you how much they care. These athletes, it’s not part of their contract. They don’t have to do this. They’re doing a great job, and we sure do appreciate it.”