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THE MADISON COUNTY (GA) JOURNAL. THURSDAY. AUGUST 17, 2023 - PAGE 5B
Fundraising [Schedules
Touchdown Club preparing
for another football season
By Hannah Barron
hannah@mainstreet-
news.com
Football season is
starting up and that in
cludes the work of the
Madison County Touch
down Club, which has
played an integral part
of Red Raider teams for
years.
The club — bolstered
by Jeffrey Luthi, Ricky
McElroy, Tony Ingram,
Brian Kirk and Dennis
Coker — has fundraised
for the Red Raider foot
ball program since the
1980’s. Fundraisers in
clude the sale of conces
sions, signs and ads, a
car/truck giveaway and
the “Opportunity for
Greatness” pledge dona
tions.
The club, with around
20 members helping
with volunteering and
fundraising, typically
raises about $70,000 a
year and every penny
goes back to the pro
gram. Fundraising has
been used for the pur
chase of the scoreboard
at the football field,
uniforms, helmet pads
and equipment. The
Touchdown Club also
often feeds varsity, ju
nior varsity and middle
school teams for games.
Feeding players is a big
expense, totaling about
$20,000-25,000 a year.
Fundraising has also
supported other Red
Raider sport programs,
helping to pay for uni
forms, lodging and
equipment and sending
kids to camps and all-
star games.
“We have been lucky
to have people who
step up,” Luthi says, ac
knowledging the com
munity’s role in helping
the club support athletic
programs. He also notes
that McElroy was one of
the members that started
the TD club and is still
an active member. In
gram, Kirk and Coker
have been involved in
the club for 25-30 years,
long after their sons
graduated.
Board members for
this year include Luthi
as president, Alan Sim
mons as vice president,
Ashley Waller as secre
tary, Kirk as treasurer
and Adrienne Simmons
as membership chair
man.
“The new board mem
bers are helping to car
ry on the fine tradition
of helping to ensure
the club keeps getting
strong support,” Luthi
says.
He adds that the sup
port of fans at football
games has been “phe
nomenal,” with the
stands full even at away
games.
Touchdown would like
to see more community
members volunteering
to help with fundraisers
and getting the word out
about the club this year,
as much of that work
is led by Touchdown
members who do not
have current players on
the teams.
Community members
can find out more about
Touchdown and its
fundraisers by visiting
the Madison County
Touchdown Club Lace-
book page.
CIRCLE OF
HONOR
Another key part of
the Touchdown Club
ramping up Aug. 18 is
the Circle of Honor.
Back in 2021, the
club noticed how there
wasn’t recognition for
alumni football players
who model integrity
and other key character
traits.
The club changed that
and now hosts a cere
mony every year prior
to the home opener of
the football season. A
committee chooses the
year’s inductees based
on performance statis
tics, previous awards,
impact on the commu
nity and character jus
tification to receive the
honor.
This year there will
be about 10 alumni
recognized on Aug. 18
before the game against
Lranklin. A meet and
greet will be held at
5 p.m. in the Board of
Education’s lunchroom
so the 2021 and 2022
Circle of Honor induct
ees can meet the new
honorees.
Schedule for varsity football
The Red Raiders will
host Lranklin in the sea
son opener on Aug. 18.
Then next week, the
team heads to Elbert to
face the Blue Devils on
Aug. 25.
Next home games af
ter Lranklin are North
Oconee on Sept. 15,
North Hall on Oct. 6,
East Lorsyth on Oct. 20
and East Hall on Nov. 3.
Youth Night will be
held Sept. 15, home
coming will be held Oct.
6, and Senior Night will
be held Nov. 3.
Next away games af
ter Elbert are Cherokee
Bluff on Sept. 8, Ches-
tatee on Sept. 29, Cedar
Shoals on Oct. 13 and
Walnut Grove on Oct.
27.
All games are at
7:30 p.m.
JV football dates announced
The JV team’s first
game is Thursday, Aug.
24 at North Oconee at
5:30 p.m. The team’s
first home game is
against Loganville at
6:30 p.m. on Thursday,
Aug. 31.
Then they take on
Stephens County away
on Thursday. Sept. 7,
at 4 p.m. Thursday,
Sept. 14, they take on
Elbert County at home
at 5:30 p.m., followed
by Franklin County at
home on Thursday, Sept.
21, also at 5:30 p.m.
JV’s last scheduled
game is at Habersham
Central on Thursday,
Sept. 28, at 5:30 p.m.
Oct. 5 and 12 are open
dates.
MCMS Mustangs take on
Rabun Saturday, August 19
The middle school
football team will trav
el to Rabun County for
its first game on Satur
day, Aug. 19, at 10 a.m.
The following Thurs
day, Aug. 24, the Mus
tangs travel to Franklin
to play at 5:30 p.m.
The next two games
are at home against
Habersham on Aug.
31 and Elbert County
on Sept. 6. The Mus
tangs play Habersham
at 5 p.m. and Elbert at
5:30 p.m.
Then the team heads
to Hart County on
Thursday, Sept. 14, for a
5 p.m. game.
The last scheduled
game rounding out
the season is at home
against Stephens Coun
ty on Wednesday, Sept.
27, at 5:30 p.m.
Sept. 21 and Oct. 5
are open dates. Oct. 9
and 16 are scheduled for
semifinals and champi
onship playoffs, times
to be announced.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
SCHEDULES AND PROGRAMS, VISIT
THE FOOTBALL WEBPAGES ON THE
SCHOOLS’ WEBSITES.
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