‘We’re praying for you.’: Apalachee football coach grateful for outpouring of support after shooting

WINDER, Ga. — Apalachee High School head football coach Mike Hancock has been coaching in Northeast Georgia for nearly 30 years.

In his second year as head coach, a tragic incident took the lives of four innocent individuals, including one of his coaches and close friends.

Channel 2′s Alison Mastrangelo spoke with Hancock on Thursday, who emphasized the resilience of Apalachee students during this difficult time.

“We’ve got a great group of coaches in this area,” Hancock said. “And it’s not just thoughts and prayers—those are nice. It’s genuine. What can we do? And they’ve done some of them. We’ve already used some of the resources.”

The outpouring of support from coaches and nearby communities has comforted Hancock greatly.

“It’s just amazing, just the support from those guys, and the constant checking on me and our kids,” Hancock shared. “Our offensive coordinator, our coach, got up at 5 a.m. to go to Jefferson to watch them practice. At the end of practice, it was cool, he sent every single one of his kids down the line to shake our hand and say, ‘Hey, we’re praying for you.’”

Hancock also expressed his deep affection for his players and coaches, including defensive coordinator Ricky Aspinwall.

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“That smile... he loved to tell jokes, or he loved to make a quick-witted remark,” Hancock recalled. “It’s tough, everybody’s got a desk. And you know, nobody’s sitting in that desk, nobody’s messing with that desk and our coaches respect that, but they also love him. And we got to figure out how we’re going to pay tribute to him in that office.”

Since the tragedy, every day has been a blur for Hancock. He recently gathered his players and their families to bring them together and share a moment of support.

“We got together, and we cried and prayed and laughed,” Hancock said. “The most important thing I just I wanted to get my eyes on my boys. It was really good to hug them and see them and just get our eyes on them. And basically, my message was, ‘Guys, it’s OK to cry. It’s OK to mourn.”

The school has canceled all activities until further notice.

Hancock doesn’t know when or if the Wildcats will play again this season, but he remains committed to his team.

“Their eyes change and their hearts change when we’re together, and I think the hardest part is telling a kid don’t sit in your room, don’t be by yourself. And some people heal that way, and that’s fine, but I think for most of them, they need to see faces. They need to just get hugged on, and that’s the biggest thing,” Hancock said.

Hancock urges everyone to check in with all students and athletes at Apalachee High School, not just the football team.

The tragedy has affected everyone, from the volleyball and cheer teams to the softball team and marching band.

Hancock believes the best thing anyone can do is just be there for them.

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