Detroit King’s Ambry Thomas, right, lets a pass get out of his reach as Detroit Cass Tech’s Alexander Donnell defends him Sept. 26, 2015.
Ambry Thomas tossed a Fowling Tournament game-winner: He hit the gold pin off the board and didn’t touch any of the other nine pins.
That meant his Detroit King team advanced to the next round during today’s Prep Kickoff Classic tournament in fowling (throwing a football at a 10-pin bowling setup on a wood plank) at the Fowling Warehouse in Hamtramck.
He smiled.
After the week he and his Crusader teammates have been through, it was nice to see something good happen.
King coach Dale Harvel died Friday. Grief counselors and other personnel have been to the school to talk to the players and coaches to deal with the situation. Harvel will be buried Saturday after funeral services at Second Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Thomas, the team’s leader and one of the state’s top players, will play this season for his coach.
“It has been rough early on, but I think the kids have been responding,” Tyrone Spencer, the team’s defensive coordinator, said during a break in the action. That’s the position where Harvel started under former coach James Reynolds.
“We had some social workers and psychologist come talk to the kids on Monday,” Spencer said. “I like their attitude going forward. This season is all for Coach Harvel from this point on. We’ve just been talking about the fun times with Coach; how stern he was and some of the jokes he had, and then just those good times. Talking about the situation and getting it out really helped the kids.”
Thomas, a highly recruited defensive back, said he would change his college visits itinerary so he can be with his teammates.
“I’ve had a good summer,” Thomas said. “I competed at Sound Mind Sound Body and at The Opening, I made the all-tournament team playing both sides of the ball. I was the top receiver with 10 catches for 338 yards and four touchdowns.
“The week has been real tough, but we’re still working and fighting. We know he’s here with us. We know what he wants our goal to be. Dale … he was a real coach to me. When I first came to King, he immediately threw me in the fire as a 10th-grader. He trusted Coach Spence to throw me into the fire. We built a strong relationship. That’s why it hurt me so much that he’s gone.”
Despite dealing with the death of Harvel, the Crusaders are the defending Division 2 champions, and everyone in the Detroit Public School League and the state will be gunning for them.
“We have a big target on our back right now,” Thomas said. “Nobody cares about us losing our coach. We have to keep that in our mind and keep working. I’ve changed a bunch. Everyone has to step up now. I have a bigger role to play — myself, the coaching staff and our team, period.
“We know who this season is dedicated to. I’m all around this year. I’m playing everything. I can’t wait.”
Contact Perry A. Farrell: 313-222-2555 or pafarrell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @farrellperry.
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