Father (principal) and son (QB) – The Sachettas
Joplin High School Principal Kerry Sachetta and his son, Gabe, stand outside the temporary campus that houses 11th and 12th grades, located in the mall. Gabe, a junior, was the starting quarterback on the varsity football team this past season.
Photo by Danny Craven
Joplin junior quarterback
Gabe Sachetta faked an inside handoff, stepped outside and for the next 10 seconds all the weight from his father’s heavily-burdened shoulders were lifted.
Sachetta broke loose on the second play of the game for an 80-yard touchdown run in a 42-27 loss to Raymore-Peculiar on Oct. 22. The touchdown eventually proved unimportant in the defeat.
But the place – at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium – was vital.
Sachetta’s father is Joplin High Principal Kerry Sachetta, a man whose duties likely doubled following the EF-5 tornado destroyed one-third of Joplin, including the high school, on May 22, 2011.
Watching his boy sprint down the same field that featured Willie Lanier, Len Dawson, Priest Holmes and for a short stint, Joe Montana – both father and son’s favorite player – was exhilarating.
“Two parents couldn’t be prouder of a son,” Kerry said.
Gabe couldn’t hide his excitement either. Even seven months later.
The game was set up at Arrowhead by the Chiefs to benefit the Joplin Schools Tornado Relief Fund, making it even more meaningful.
“To cross the goal line and see your own face on the scoreboard is really cool,” Gabe said. “I have to give it up for the coaching staff. I’m not the fastest guy so that had to be the biggest hole in the world for me to run that far for a touchdown.”
The father and son have always been very close and shared a love for sports. Kerry, also a high school quarterback who still looks in game shape, remembers the first time holding his son’s hand when Gabe was 6 at the Joplin campus. That’s why Kerry’s passion to rebuild quickly – to make the high school experience special for these kids – is not only professional, but also personal.
Many of Joplin High School's trophies shown in the lobby of the gym
were damaged by the storm.
Photo by Danny Craven
“I know losing your high school is a big deal,” Kerry said. “I remember Gabe telling me shortly after the tornado he didn’t know what he was going to do without a high school.
“I think with that comment and a lot of help from a lot of people, getting the high school up and running was really a labor of love.”
Still, Kerry had his own visions and nightmares.
He stayed late well past the 2011 graduation at Missouri Southern State and was well clear of the storm. Gabe was not, working at a convenience store near St. John’s Medical Regional Center, which was destroyed. He gained cover in a freezer locker and escaped unscathed.
“I was quite worried,” Kerry said. “But we got very lucky.”
He didn’t feel quite lucky when he arrived at the high school an hour later. The school had scattered destruction, but Franklin Tech, a 7,500 square foot building that served as a career center just across the street, was obliterated.
Kerry couldn’t stop staring at it.
“I kept looking and thinking what was left was the green house behind it,” he said. “I literally honest to God kept thinking it was the green house. Once I realized it was not, it looked like a bomb had gone off in the middle of it, or a crater or a meteor.
“I was totally disoriented. … But the closer I go,t the damage was indescribable.”
The baseball field was the most unusual, as thousands of pieces of wood stuck through the turf.
“It was like the Robin Hood days, like pieces of wood just must have rained down. Eerie.”
Designs for the new Joplin High School/Franklin Technolgy Center are
on display at the school's temporary location in a mall.
Photo by Todd Shurtleff
Watching his dad stick his nose to the grindstone was inspirational and also difficult, Gabe said. Already a hard worker, Kerry’s duties to find new facilities and deal with all the physical and emotional damage was enormous. The summer, normally a time for Kerry to unwind, was wound tighter than ever.
Kerry said one of his largest goals was to simply minimize all the turmoil for all the parents, who all had monumental challenges of their own.
“It’s been amazing watching my dad,” Gabe said. “I’m not trying to toot his horn because I’m his son, but seriously he’s done a great job during a really tough time. “
Kerry actually sought his son’s advice on several post-tornado adjustments. Who would know better than an 11th grader, right?
“I think he’s given good, fair advice,” Kerry said. “He’s been a big help.”
And a vital player for football coach Chris Shields and the Eagles. The first-year head coach made him the starter before he even knew he was related to the school’s principal. That’s a tough stigma to beat, Shields said.
“Some people will always believe Gabe got the starting job because he’s the principal's son, but we know what’s the truth,” Shields said. “He stepped right up to the forefront from Day 1 last year and hasn’t relinquished the spot since. He’s just a very hard-working kid with a good command of the offense.”
Funny, because as a sixth-man on the basketball team, Gabe is the defensive stopper who picks up a lot of loose balls.
“He’s a high energy guy and a real leader wherever he plays,” Shields said.
Sounds like a lot like dad.
This undated aerial photo shows what the Joplin High campus looked like before it was destroyed.
Photo courtesy of Joplin Schools
