Pisgah High School in western North Carolina reopened its football stadium last year after Tropical Storm Fred tore through in 2021.

Now it has to be rebuilt again after being demolished by

Amid and , high schools in dozens of communities in southern Appalachia are shut down and with that the prep sports that binds so many towns together. It鈥檚 the latest disruption for young athletes who鈥檝e already endured a pandemic.

The Pigeon River rose to record levels after Helene plowed through, taking out parts of Interstate 40 along with bridges, homes and other infrastructure in the region. In Canton, North Carolina, the high school鈥檚 football, baseball and softball fields, covered in several feet of water, were 鈥渁 total loss,鈥 Pisgah athletic director Heidi Morgan said.

In an adjacent county, six dozen people have died. Morgan is keeping that in perspective as she ponders the monumental task ahead at her school.

鈥淵ou cannot replace a life,鈥 she said. 鈥淢aterial things, you can replace.鈥

First COVID, now this

The loss of Pisgah鈥檚 athletic facilities is personal for Morgan. She played softball there in high school and became its athletic director in 2019. She鈥檚 also the current softball coach.

鈥淚鈥檓 sad for our kids. They鈥檝e just been through so much,鈥 Morgan said. 鈥淚n high school, you have to have a sense of normalcy. Our seniors, they鈥檝e played at Pisgah Memorial Stadium eight times in four years due to COVID and then the flood in 鈥21. It鈥檚 just heartbreaking.鈥

It鈥檚 also summoned a resiliency that Morgan processed during the first stadium overhaul that she hopes will help get her school through even tougher times.

鈥淲e鈥檒l get our hands dirty again and we鈥檒l rebuild and be back stronger than ever,鈥 Morgan said. 鈥淲e will come back.鈥

About a half hour to the east, the Swannanoa River swallowed up the outdoor athletic fields at Asheville Christian Academy. In Hampton, Tennessee, Hampton High School鈥檚 football stadium was destroyed by flooding from the Doe River.

Schools remain closed in many states as and other infrastructure. Some schools have become temporary Red Cross shelters. Others are accommodating utility crews. High school games have been called off for a second straight week, with many having no idea if or when practices or games might resume. Local police officers used for game security have other, more important things to do.

'Push through it'

South Carolina from the hurricane, posing one of the many challenges for young athletes.

鈥淚t does take a little bit of focus off the game and season because you have to worry about a lot of stuff that鈥檚 going on at home,鈥 said Abraham Hoffman, a running back and wide receiver at American Leadership Academy, a charter school in Lexington, South Carolina. 鈥淚t definitely causes a distraction.鈥

The school lost power for five days and the football team only recently returned to practice with its game postponed this week. But there isn't time for self pity, considering what鈥檚 going on in every direction.

鈥淲e kind of just have to push through it,鈥 Hoffman said. "You can鈥檛 sit back and let it affect you. Even though we went through it, it was tough, the hurricane and stuff, There are places that had it worse.鈥

American Leadership coach Robin Bacon spoke with two head coaches from other areas who said "'this looks like an atomic bomb hit in some of these areas.' It鈥檚 just so bad.

鈥淲e take for granted having a hot meal," he said. "We take for granted having electricity. We take for granted that we can take a shower. And I鈥檓 talking to some of my football players and they鈥檙e like, 鈥榗oach, we don鈥檛 have air conditioning.鈥"

Seeking a pause

The South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association is seeking a two-week postponement in football games on behalf of schools in the hard-hit western part of the state, where students "face extreme challenges that go beyond athletics," association executive director Scott Earley wrote.

In the letter to the South Carolina High School League, the state鈥檚 governing body for high school sports that is scheduled to meet next week, Earley said many athletes 鈥渁re unable to attend practice due to lack of transportation, closed schools and impassible roads. Others are prioritizing family responsibilities as they cope with significant losses.鈥

In Georgia, a group overseeing high school athletics announced this week it would extend the football regular season by one week.

Gen Z giving back

In Boone, North Carolina, some of Brian Newmark's cross country teammates at Watauga High School have damage to their homes or downed trees or destroyed bridges blocking roads. The team was still trying to figure out whether it can compete in a meet on Saturday in Charlotte, 100 miles away.

Until then, they're prioritizing helping others. Newmark, a sophomore, handed out bottled water to needy residents for four hours at the school Thursday. The day before, the team cleared tree limbs, mud and other debris along a popular walking trail.

That sense of giving back makes Newmark proud about his generation, often seen as being too attached to electronics. Newmark said there is some truth to those complaints, but he and his classmates are doing their part to turn that reputation on its side.

鈥淲e鈥檙e working together to help each other,鈥 Newmark said.

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AP Sports Writers Teresa M. Walker, Aaron Beard and Pete Iacobelli and Associated Press writer Kimberlee Kruesi contributed.

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AP's coverage of the hurricane:

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