Act of kindness allows Gordon ISD baseball team to practice after tornado damage

Gordon ISD baseball team practices after tornado damage

A North Texas high school?s baseball team is away from home for practice after a devastating tornado on Sunday.

STEPHENVILLE, Texas - A North Texas high school’s baseball team is away from home for practice after a devastating tornado on Sunday.

The storm damaged the town of Gordon, including the high school campus and athletic fields.

Gordon tornado damage

The backstory:

The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-1 tornado in the city of Gordon with estimated peak winds of 105 miles per hour. The tornado was one of seven to be confirmed in the weekend's weather by the NWS.

Gordon ISD announced Monday that all campuses will remain closed for the rest of the week due to significant storm damage from Sunday’s severe weather. Debris and heavy damage were reported around the football field and track. Several buildings were destroyed, and light poles were knocked down.

Tornado in North Texas hits the town of Gordon

Confirmed EF1 tornado his wind speeds up to 105 mph and touched down in the town of Gordon in southern Palo Pinto County.

The Latest:

The damage led to a compassionate gesture from 30 miles away at Stephenville High School.

The Gordon Longhorns continued their practice at the neighboring district's facilities, allowing them to continue to prepare for upcoming matches.

The Texas Rangers also dropped off gift cards to Academy Sports for the athletes to purchase new items, including personal gear that may have been lost in the storm.

What they're saying:

The players are grateful to have a place to continue their practice.

"We are so blessed to have Stephenville bless us with this beautiful day and field to practice on," said Gordon senior Maddox Stewart.

The team's coach is proud of his players' hard work.

"All of them were working sun up to sundown, giving out food and water, working heavy machinery, tractors, brush, hauling debris," said Coach Ligon West. "It was a full day of hard and mentally taxing work."

"I think a big thing going for us is our kids are very resilient," West went on.

What's next:

 The Longhorns are trying to shift the focus from disaster to handling business in their 1-A regional finals series, which starts on Thursday.