PORT NECHES, Texas — From thousands of miles away, a Southeast Texas man is supporting an area high school football team ahead of a Friday night game.
For the first time since 1999, the Port Neches-Groves Indians have advanced to the State Semifinals in football. They are one win away from going to state.
The team will be in Katy taking on the Liberty Hills Panthers. The Indians are 12-2. The Panthers are 13-1.
"Despite being 8,300 miles away from home, living my life at the bottom of the world, my support for the community that made me than man I am and the PNG Football Team is as strong as ever," Zeke Mills said in a Facebook post.
Mills wished the Port Neches-Groves football team the best of luck, stating he would be there in spirit to cheer them on.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm. Mills will lose satellite connectivity right before then and plans to wait until the connectivity returns to find out who won the showdown.
Mills is simply showing support for a community that supported him.
"Much like trying to explain to people how special it is living and working at the South Pole, it's quite similar when I try to explain what it was like growing up in such a supportive and tradition-rich community," Mills said. "It's hard to understand if you haven't experienced it."
Mills said he will always cherish the memories of games at the Astrodome during the 1999 State Championship Run and his time playing in 2003 and 2004.
