Lamar football to play season opener

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Lamar University football will play its season-opening game Saturday against North Texas despite ongoing flooding throughout Southeast Texas from Hurricane Harvey.

The two teams are scheduled to open the season Saturday at 6 p.m. and it will be the first game for head coach Mike Schultz.

Lamar athletics director Jason Henderson said Wednesday all players and coaches - over 100 combined - will make the trip.

"I'm really proud of how our guys have handled adversity," Schultz said in a statement. "Most of the players we recruit are from the areas hurt by Harvey, so they not only have been taking care of themselves but trying to make sure their families are safe as well."

The Cardinals left by bus for Lafayette on Thursday but were turned around because of closures on the I-10.

The team instead will drive to Denton and stay there until the game.

Lamar hasn't practiced since Monday, when it practiced without pads at the campus recreation center.

Over 50 Lamar players are from Southeast Texas and Houston, where Harvey hit the hardest.

At least one player, redshirt freshman tight end Mason Sikes, is still in Southeast Texas.

Sikes could not return to the Lamar campus from his hometown of Lumberton because U.S. 69 remains flooded.

Sikes said his family home didn't have any water damage and that's he's spent the last couple of days volunteering.

"I'm fine," Sikes said. "I just wish I could have made it to the bus."

DShapiro@BeaumontEnterprise.com

Twitter.com/DannyShapiro13