RALEIGH, N.C. — On Saturday, Weddington High School’s football team walked out of Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh as state champions.
But, one of the team’s assistant coaches walked away with a lot more -- a fiance.
He said this year, he talked it over with the other coaches the night before, didn’t sleep at all and after the team won, he got down on one knee.
The Weddington High School football team defended their title and are now back-to-back champions. For assistant coach Hayden Crooks, one woman has been there through all the practices, late nights and traveling -- his girlfriend, Kayla.
Crooks said he actually joked about proposing last year after the win.
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He said the team is a family and he couldn’t imagine them not being a part of this big life moment.
“I’ve spent more time with them these past three years, making these deep playoff runs and stuff like that than I’ve spent with anybody else really so it really did feel almost like if I had invited my whole family,” Crooks said. “That’s who I’d want to be there for that.”
Crooks said even if the team had lost, he still would have proposed, just not on the field.
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