BATTLING BACK: Rapp battles COVID, Team Responds
THE YEAR WE ALL HAVE WANTED TO FORGET WILL BE A YEAR HE WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO FORGET.
Varsity boys' soccer coach and math teacher Robin Rapp will look back on this soccer season and remember it much differently than others. Sure, there were new rules, protocols and a lot more stressors on the year to begin with having to adjust to Covid-19.
Adjusting to protocols for Covid-19 were the least of Rapp's concerns when he himself got Covid-19.
The early days were tiring and he didn't feel his best, but on day eight when he no longer showed symptoms, he even asked his doctor if he could return to work the following day.
The next day things were radically different. "It went beyond fast," Rapp said after mentioning his oxygen levels drastically dropped over night. Within just 12 hours of telling his doctor he had no symptoms, Rapp found himself in an intensive care unit. Because he was a premature baby, Doctors believed his lungs didn't develop properly, which led to the double pneumonia and the severity of his low oxygen levels.
Being stuck in a hospital alone, hoping everyday would get better was a scary time for Rapp, his wife, his players and students and the school community as a whole. The family atmosphere the Lion Family provides is what gave Rapp hope during his 17 days in the hospital. "Having the soccer to go back to… Having the kids to go back to" is what he said really motivated him.
With six seniors and a ton of freshmen and sophomores getting significant playing time, his team needed a lot of coaching.
"People think I was crazy for coming back," Rapp laughingly said when talking about being on the field and in the classroom while pulling around an oxygen tank. He knew he needed to get back with the kids and was going to do all he could with the strength and abilities he had each day. Getting back on the field, the kids worked hard to push through the season of adversity.
In its first season at the TAPPS 6A level, the Lions jumped from fourth place to second place in district – a huge measure of success Rapp said. Being able to get a first-round bye in the TAPPS Playoff bracket and earning home-field advantage was quite an accomplishment after a wild ride of a season.
The Lions won the Area Championship, but ultimately the season came to a close after losing 4-2 to the eventual State Champions.
Rapp cherishes being a part of the SACS community, which is a unique place he couldn't have hand-picked himself. "God brought me here," he said, "It has been perfect for me. It's a school to work for, but it's been more of a family. It is a Christian environment; a family environment and the kids are really great kids!"