EAST PALESTINE, Ohio — For junior middle linebacker and left guard Logen Guy, February’s train derailment in his hometown of East Palestine was like a scene straight out of a movie.

“I look out our room in the back of our house and fire’s everywhere," Guy said. "I see emergency vehicles so, it was definitely very scary. I have never lived through something like that before."

Guy and his family have been displaced since Feb. 3, living outside the city with his grandparents. 

He and his teammates don’t talk much about that day, but they do carry with them a sense of what teamwork and community are all about.  

“All of us, and me including, have been here since it happened, grinding in the weight room and on the field," he said. "It was definitely a driving point for all of us."

Second-year East Palestine Head Football Coach Michael Demster said the team has all endured the events of the last six months together, but as far as they’re concerned, it’s in the rearview mirror. 

Even though they did lose five student athletes, and some on the team remain displaced, Demster said the kids believe they have a lot to prove this season. 

“I think this just added more fuel to the fire, especially with the national narrative that was created, and things that were said about us, and the perceptions and misconceptions that people have about us, and I think more than anything, we all just want to go out and prove people wrong,” Demster said.

Although Guy doesn’t know when and if he’ll be able to return home in the near future, he hopes the East Palestine community support remains strong across the village and on the football field.  

“So much help was being spread around EP to help anyone in danger of it, so it definitely was nice to see that," he said. "I’ve been ready for months, waiting for this, to finally get full pads. I’m definitely ready for football and I think we all are too."