Rivals come together to support Aldrich
The Holliday-City View basketball rivalry is one of the area’s best. With just 15 miles separating the two schools, the matchup has bloomed into a must-see event for the area.
Over the past several years, the winner of the matchup has typically been in the driver’s seat for the district championship with the majority of games coming down to the wire.
Friday night’s matchup was no different in that regard. The winner of both the boys and girls game would be in command of the district race as the first half of league play comes to a close.
The view of the rivalry game changed drastically on Thursday when news broke that City View Athletic Director and head girls coach Heath Aldrich was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and in the hospital at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
With numerous crossovers from the Holliday and City View coaching staffs, it was clear something needed to be done to support a friend in need.
The Holliday Athletic Booster Club announced via Facebook a ‘fill the bucket’ campaign for Aldrich at halftime of both varsity contests on Friday night. The act was a huge success, raising more than $3,000 in funds for the family. The HABC matched the donation, giving more than $6,000 to the Aldrich family.
“It’s a big game tonight but when things like that happen to your friends and someone in the coaching fraternity, it puts things in perspective in a hurry,” Holliday boys coach Kyle Tucker said. “We lift up Heath and his family in prayer and we’re all hoping he makes as quick of a recovery as possible. I coached him at City View when I first started so I’ve known Heath a long time. We’re in continued prayer for him to see him fight this and get back on his feet.”
“The community loves Heath,” Lady Eagles head coach Derek Winn said. “He does a fantastic job of whatever program he’s in. We certainly feel for him and his family right now and are praying for him. Watching our girls before the game, they wanted to have a prayer with City View to support them.”
As the waning seconds ticked away of the Lady Mustangs’ 54-49 upset win of the Lady Eagles, fans broke out a one-word chant that filled the gym.
“Aldrich!” “Aldrich!” “Aldrich!” City View had pulled off the stunner, handing Holliday its first district loss in the last two seasons and joining the Lady Eagles atop the District 7-3A standings.
“The City View girls were walking off the court crying after the win,” Winn added. “It doesn’t take away from our pain as far as the loss goes but we were happy to see them get the win for him. We’re all praying for him and hoping he’s on the right track to get better.”
The outpouring of support didn’t just stop at the Holliday community. Archer City and Windthorst organized ‘fill the bucket’ campaigns for Tuesday night’s contests as well.
For those wishing to make contributions to the Aldrich family, a GoFund-Me has been organized by Leslee Ponder.
