High School Football Game Originally Cancelled After El Paso Mass Shooting, Set To Happen In Frisco Thursday Night
PLANO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - After a cancellation due to safety concerns by Plano ISD, Plano Senior High School's varsity football team will take on El Paso's Eastwood High School on Thursday night at the Ford Center in Frisco.
Ahead of the big game, the El Paso team enjoyed some down time Wednesday night at Regeneration Arcade in Plano.
"It feels great," quarterback Christian Castaneda said. "I mean it gets all the pressure off our shoulders you know."
"I think tonight is a good night for the kids to get in there and play some arcade games and have some pizza," head coach Julio Lopez said.
Lopez said his team has done all they can to prepare to play Plano.
It's a game Plano ISD officials initially cancelled in response to the El Paso mass shooting, citing safety and security concerns.
The shooting suspect is a Plano Senior High School graduate.
The decision to cancel the game was met with criticism.
Then Frisco ISD and the Dallas Cowboys stepped in, saying the game could be held at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco.
"For us it's just welcoming that we can have the game here," Lopez said. "We want to show how resilient we are, how good the people are. I think from Plano's perspective, helping show that the person who committed that atrocity is not representative of the people of Plano."
"It makes us feel great,"Castaneda said. "If anything were to happen to them we'd do the same. We want to win obviously, but just in general we want to show that we can come together as two communities."
Thursday's game starts at 7:00 p.m. Tickets cost $8, cash only.