Second thoughts

School administrators classified the issue as an emergency and shut the campus down, which will remain shuttered for at least six weeks, likely until the end of the fall semester. In the meantime, the Shelby County school system began shuttling students to three locations for their classes.

That’s caused some trouble for the Kirby football team, which has to convene after class each day at a field next to a condemned school house.

Coach Chester Flowers said the Cougars can still use the locker room but can’t access the school’s weight room. Fans from opposing schools have brought signs to games that make fun of rodent infestation.

But after Kirby’s hot start — the football team is a surprise playoff contender at 6-1, its best start in a decade, and has outscored in-state opponents 31043 — Flowers has a warning to future foes:

“Don’t bring those noncreative signs to our contest Flowers trying to get a cheap laugh,” he said. “Because the price you pay may not be as inexpensive as you think.”

“It’s funny, because the teams that did it, they can’t beat us,” running back Marshun Douglas said.

The Cougars take those slights personally, Flowers said, and they’ve united around serving payback to teams that look down on the school because of its rat problem.

Members of the community have embraced the football team, too. The general manager of a nearby LA Fitness is allowing players to work out at his facility free of charge.

“What we do at Kirby on Friday nights involves the student body, the faculty, and this community,” Flowers told the Commercial Appeal. “We come together with a common goal, and that’s our rallying point.”