'We just needed to play the game': Belhaven, Millsaps and a sense of normalcy amid Jackson water crisis
JACKSON — Millsaps College Athletic Director Aaron Pelch celebrated with a fist pump when he heard the sound of a flushing toilet during his trek through campus Thursday.
It signaled that the water pressure at Millsaps was sufficient enough to use indoor restrooms amid the ongoing Jackson water crisis, and offered another green light — however unusual — for Millsaps to host city rival Belhaven University in their Riverside Rumble game Thursday night.
"I heard somebody flush a toilet and I thought, 'Gosh, what a great day,'" Pelch said.
The scene at Millsap's Harper Davis Field offered little indication that anything was amiss, despite a crisis in Jackson that has left thousands without necessary water services.
Tailgating students toted around cases of Twisted Tea and White Claw. Fans devoured finger foods and sandwiches at picnic tables adorned with purple and white tablecloths for the occasion. Children slid down a multicolored inflatable slide. Fans on each side hurled encouragement and trash talk in equal measure.
In the midst of chaos, the picture couldn't have been much more normal — for a few hours, at least.
"It's been really nice to just come down here and chill," said Belhaven student Josiah Murray. "Kind of put school behind us and just hang out."
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Murray and his Belhaven classmates are attending the majority of their classes online in response to the water crisis. Millsaps has done the same. Murray said the water pressure in his home has remained high enough to shower, but the university is providing resources for some of his classmates who can't use their showers.
He and his fellow Blazers left the game as the happier set of fans, with Belhaven beating its rivals in a 49-21 rout.
Still, those wearing both Belhaven green and Millsaps purple offered a similar sentiment: Amid all the difficulty, it was just good to have a game to watch.
"I think we learned a lot from COVID, and learned a lot about canceling things and pushing things back and the way that affected people mentally," Pelch said. "... We just needed to play the game."
Pelch said he's been meeting twice daily with his emergency management team for the last several days to ensure Millsaps was equipped to host the game no matter the water pressure situation.
He'd been receiving constant updates from the facilities manager on campus in regard to the water pressure on campus. Thursday morning, the water pressure measured 30 pounds per square inch, and remained that way up until kickoff, meaning both teams would be able to shower and fans would have access to indoor restrooms.
Both schools have had their athletic departments well-stocked with drinking water courtesy of Amfed, which donated 37,000 bottles of water to split between the two schools for use specifically by their athletes, according to Pelch.
"There's been a lot of crisis mode over the last several years here and there," Belhaven AD Scott Little said. "Our students have responded well."
Perhaps that resilience signals a trend among college athletes these days. After enduring the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on collegiate and high school football, moving the Division III season to the spring, Belhaven head coach Blaine McCorkle had no concerns about his team's ability to handle its business despite the crisis.
"Our guys don't know any different," he said. "They've been through COVID, they've been through ice storms. You name it, this generation has been through it. They just show up and go to work...That's what we're going to do, we're going to be unshakable."
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Belhaven football bests rival Millsaps amid Jackson water crisis
