“Every player tested neg.”
The text message seemed full of relief as much as hope.
It was sent Oct. 13 by Ernesto Lerma, a 78-year-old assistant coach for the Palmview High School football team in the Rio Grande Valley, where the southern tip of Texas forms the toe of a cowboy boot along the border with Mexico.
A day later, Lerma sent an ominous update.
“Big left tackle tested positive.”
This was what everyone had feared as the fall sports season approached.
The coronavirus pandemic had ravaged the valley in summer.