CHATTAROY, Wash. — The Gray and Oregon Road fires in Spokane County turned the world upside down for the surrounding communities. On Friday, the two communities came together for a high school football game that strengthened their bond.
Community members and families were able to find a sense of normalcy under the Friday night lights.
"Football is a perfect place to bring everyone together and kind of unite and heal from that," Cooper Eagle, a Riverside High School senior, told KREM 2.
The Oregon Road fire forced his family to evacuate. They returned to their home still standing, but that wasn't the case for many of his classmates.
"Quite a few kids at the school just have to start all over and lost everything," Eagle said. "It’s really sad."
It's a homecoming game for Riverside High School, a welcomed distraction from weeks of heartbreak.
Eagle says there is an unspoken connection shared between the two teams.
" I think we both obviously have similar circumstances the last couple of weeks," Eagle said. "So I think it’s going to be a powerful game. And we can really just connect through and unite even though we’re opponents.”
Like every game, both teams are hoping to win, but they are still acknowledging a sense of comradery.
“Definitely after, it’s all love," Eagle said. "You just feel for each other.”
It will take time to heal from the wildfires. But in the meantime, these Friday night lights will help these communities begin healing together.
The comradery and connection Eagle spoke about goes beyond the football teams. You can see it among the families from both communities here at the game.