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Seahawks rename fieldhouse in Teats honor
On Friday night, the Seahawks paid tribute to the late Ashley Teat, a longtime assistant coach who passed away this past year, by granting them their highest honor.
In a moving ceremony at halftime, Franklin County High School unveiled a giant sign that renamed the field house the Ashley Teat Memorial Field House.
Superintendent Steve Lanier had escorted Teat’s mother, Wanda, to midfield before the game, where she flipped the coin that would decide whether Wewahitchka or Franklin County would kickoff.
At halftime, Lanier walked Wanta Teat to stand beside a framed jersey of #75, the number Ashley Teat wore, as members of the family stood alongside, including brother Leon Teat and his wife Claire and son Dalton.
“In the future, players wearing the #75 Seahawks jersey will be tasked with some big shoes to fill, , the big shoes of a big man with an even bigger heart,” read announcer Tara Klink during the moving ceremony.
The narration talked of Teat’s love for Christ, and his passion for encouraging other to show kindness to one another, to love one another and to show forgiveness to one another.
“Coach Teat will always be remembered for the constant smile on his face and generous flow of love and positive words to those lucky enough to be in his presence,” read the narration. “Not only was he generous with his love and positivity, but he was always generous with hsi time for several causes in our community that were near and dear to his heart.”
Klink’s words recalled Teat’s service as a volunteer firefighter, a faithful member of the Carrabelle Christian Center, and his activity with Christian camps.
“Ashley often paid the fees for those youth who wanted to attend the camps but were without means,” read the narration. “In keeping with his service mentality and his love to feed others, he could be seen at many fundraisers and sporting events standing over a hot grill all day cooking for the crowds that came to watch the children play.
“Thank you for sharing your positivity and making the boys smile, even when they didn’t feel like smiling. Thank you for being their friend. Thank you for pushing them just hard enough without knocking them down. And thank you for building them back up when they did get down.
“You led by example and truly walked the walk,” Klink read. “Most of all thank you for helping our boys grow into young men we can be proud of.”
The field house sign was donated by Coca-Cola.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.