What does the Supreme Court decision on prayer mean for SWFL high school coaches?

A recent Supreme Court decision could change the role of prayer in high school sports.

On Monday, a 6-3 decision ruled that a Washington school district could not bar a coach from praying at the 50-yard line after a high school football game.

The implications of the ruling are yet to be known, but some Southwest Florida coaches welcomed the news.

"I was elated, excited, happy," said Dwayne Donnell, the head girls basketball coach at Evangelical Christian School.

Before taking on the role leading the Sentinels last year, Donnell coached at Dunbar High School for 21 years. Prayer was always present throughout his coaching career.

"I've never been one to be afraid to pray," he said.

By the way: Supreme Court sides with football coach who prayed after games

State champion girls basketball coach leaving Dunbar to take over ECS' program

Donnell said he would tell parents about his approach when athletes made his teams, and he gave them the option to step out so they would have that choice.

Donnell has embraced what he described as the free religious expression that comes with coaching at ECS, but insisted that nothing has changed with regard to how he coaches and interacts with his athletes compared to his time at Dunbar.

"I continue to show my gratitude and love to him because I really think that's why I'm in the position that I am," he said.

Immokalee head football coach James Delgado also thought the particulars of the case, in which Bremerton High School assistant football coach Joe Kennedy was terminated after refusing too stop on-field prayers after games, warranted the outcome.

"I literally said, 'Thank God,'" he said, adding that he thought it was unfair for Kennedy to lose his livelihood.

Incidentally, the Immokalee was attending a team camp with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Ave Maria on Thursday.

"The beauty of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes is it gives you an opportunity to hear about faith and different things under that umbrella," Delgado said, adding that it is student-led.

Ultimately, Delgado does not believe Kennedy vs. Bremeton School District will fundamentally change the separation of church and state.

"I think extremists on either side will celebrate it or complain about it," he said.

The case might not lead to direct change, but Donnell was supportive of the potential for Monday's decision to open doors.

"I hope prayer can find its way back to other places," he said. "It would help our world to be a better place."

Follow News-Press Sports Reporter Dustin Levy on Twitter: @DustinBLevy. For additional coverage of sports across Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: How do SW FL coaches view SCOTUS ruling that on-field prayer is allowed?