TALLAHASSEE, Fl. (WTXL) - Last year, the inaugural Jonathan Ferrell Kickoff Classic brought thousands of high school football fans to Gene Cox Stadium in Tallahassee. The Classic is more than just about football, as organizers aimed to honor Ferrell's memory while promoting community partnership with law enforcement.
Ferrell was killed by a police officer in North Carolina in 2013. This year, Rickards and Godby will play Carol City and Northwestern for the second annual Classic.
Jonathan's brother Willie said he excited about year two, as high school football is Willie's passion, and he's happy to honor his brother's memory through a game they both loved so much.
"I know Jonathan would love everything that we are doing. The reason we are doing it is of course football, it's one of Jonathan's first loves other than family," he said. "It's something that we were able to bring so many people together as well as what we're doing now, bringing the community together and now the state together to compete on a high level, so kids are able to understand what happened to Jonathan, learn how to handle situations and try to avoid situations Jonathan was in and just to meet and mingle with people you'll play college football with and hopefully a lot of these guys fortunate enough to play professional football with."
This year's Classic features a doubleheader on August 18th. Godby faces Northwestern at 4:45, while Rickards and Carol City face off at 8. Both games are at Bragg Memorial Stadium at Florida A&M.
