As the Knights were battling each other on the field in their annual Spring Game clash, in action behind the scenes in several positions of support were the tireless workers of the Knights’ Court Booster Club. New club president Douglas Babb, who is the father of defensive standout Tyler Babb, brings an energy and intensity to the job that rivals the effort given on the gridiron by his linebacker son.  

“My whole purpose for getting involved with the booster club in the first place is that I’m a parent of a child in the athletic program,” said Babb. “I have a vested interest, therefore I want to be involved just like I think most parents want to be involved in what’s going on with their kids.

“It’s been rewarding to me to have the ability to go in and be a part of a great organization that focuses on improving opportunities for our student athletes”.

Serving as an appendage of that program, the Knights Court Booster Club believes that there are many life lessons that can be learned through sports.

“We want to help the coaches provide an educational opportunity for the kids,” Babb said. “The athletic field is like an extension of the classroom. It’s a place where they can learn and grow and develop as a person into a mature young adult.

“Our whole purpose of being is to support the kids. We do anything we can to help improve their athletic experience while they are at Harker Heights High School.”

As the main fundraising organization for HHHS athletics, the booster club has provided four $1,500 scholarships yearly to deserving college-bound senior student-athletes – a count that Babb said he is eager to see swell.

“I would love to be able to increase that number and provide more opportunities for our student-athletes,” he said. “It’s a very worthwhile endeavor.”

Babb said this year the club’s main focus will be to galvanize the community’s level of participation, a campaign themed “Re-U-Knight the Heights.”

“Support for the athletic program can be compared to a three-legged stool if you look at it – the athletes, the parents and the community,” he said. “I really want the community to wrap their arms around and take ownership of the high school.

“If the kids see the community rallying behind them, then that just increases their desire to succeed.”

Babb is hoping that more involvement from local businesses and civic organizations will reverse the recent trend of fan apathy.

“As a fan and a parent, I was disappointed last season when during our last home game we had more athletes on the field than we had fans in the stands,” said Babb. “I know that had to be disheartening for the kids as well.

“I understand that everyone enjoys winning, but the fan base should be the same regardless of the record. We’ve had too many empty seats at our athletic events for a town of this size.”

Babb also wants to dispel the notion that the booster club is a football-only organization.

“We are for all sports and it’s important that the public understands that,” he said. “We put just as much effort into baseball, softball, soccer, track, tennis and golf as we do into football. We’re here for everybody.

“Most of the other area schools have booster clubs that focus on just one sport, but I think it’s much better to have an umbrella organization for all of our sports so that we can share our resources across the board.”

As it stands right now, the club’s membership is in desperate need of a boost. The current roster includes 1st Vice President Kelly Ann Bacon, who is in charge of concession operations; 2nd Vice President Teresa Anderson, who covers our spirit item sales and development; Secretary Lisa Buller; Treasurer Darla Davis; and Past President Mark Dudley.

“We have a small core group of dedicated folks, most of which don’t even have kids in the program anymore,” Babb said. “These are the people who make our organization go, and they’ve been there through thick and thin.

“These folks donate their time and energy generously, but we still have room for more folks to come out. The coaches are looking more and more to the booster club to help fill in the gaps for the things they cannot get from the school district to help improve athletic performance.”

The club meets on the first Monday of every month during the school year. An annual membership fee of $10 will give you immediate voting rights as a full-fledged member. The club’s first meeting of the new school year will be held in August.

With an increased roster and more community backing, Babb is hopeful to develop large-scale projects like a radio broadcast of selected Knights games across the fall, winter and spring seasons.

“One of the things we want to do is help push this program and take it to the next level,” he said. “We want to be able to do all of the neat things you see at bigger schools. We want to move this into a big-time atmosphere, but we need the community to help us out. We can do some much more as a unified front.

“I’ve been asked many times why we can’t have facilities like Belton or Copperas Cove. Well, we can’t get there unless we improve our community support and band together behind our kids. Together we can accomplish anything.”

The club has fund-raising activities taking place on a year-round basis, including the Ross Rogers Scholarship Golf Tournament on Saturday, June 13th.

All proceeds from the tournament, which will be held at Stonetree Golf Course, will benefit the HHHS Knights Court Athletic Scholarship Fund. For more information, call Gaylon Christie at (254) 393-0663 or David King at (254) 526-9222.

To find out more on how you can become a member of the Knights Court Athletic Booster Club or to volunteer to help, contact Babb at 254-289-9443 or email knightscourtboosterclub@gmail.com.