RIDGELAND – Three weeks ago, John Buckman, Chris Baer and Noah Slater were practicing football in New Orleans, preparing Brother Martin for the Class 5A season.

That was a lifetime ago, before Hurricane Katrina turned their world upside down. The three friends escaped the storm, but saw their friends scatter and their team disband for the season.

Yet, on Friday night, they were back in uniform and cheered on by friends – from both their old school and their new one.

They wore the purple and gold colors of Class 1A St. Aloysius, and not the crimson and gold of Brother Martin. And the result – a 56-21 loss to St. Andrew’s that dropped the Flashes to 0-2 – was far different from the success they had last season, when they helped the Crusaders reach the second round of the playoffs.

But just getting back on the field was a welcome break from the stress of the last few weeks.

“It’s been pretty crazy, changing schools in our senior year. But up here it’s been pretty fun, being able to play football,” Buckman said. “It got my mind off things and I just got to play some football.”

Buckman, Baer and Slater all live in Kenner, a suburb on the western side of New Orleans, and attended Brother Martin, a private school in the city. Their homes and neighborhood came through Katrina relatively unscathed, they said.

But with the infrastructure of New Orleans in disarray – power and water are out, roads are flooded or covered in a toxic muck, and only a few thousand diehards remain from a pre-storm population of 1.1 million – it may be a few months before the newcomers to St. Al can return home.

“At least until January. That’s when they expect our school to open again, but nobody knows for sure,” Buckman said.

Baer added that making it through the first week, when it wasn’t clear where they would end up or what had happened to everything they knew in Kenner, was tough.

“I was pretty upset, because of the whole thought of leaving my friends, my school, my senior year behind,” said Baer, a quarterback.

That anxiety has been eased somewhat by the warm welcome the trio has received at St. Al.

All three were cheered by their teammates on Friday, receiving pats on the helmet and “attaboys” after nearly every play they made. In school, the atmosphere has been just as nice.

“Everybody here is great. We came in the first day and everybody introduced themselves to us and was real friendly,” Buckman said. “I felt really comfortable. I’ve been with (teammates) since Tuesday and that’s our team out there. We’re playing like a true team, sort of like our family.”

All three newcomers also saw playing time on Friday, and figure to get more as they become acclimated to St. Al’s system.

Buckman returned four kickoffs for an average of 23.5 yards apiece and made several plays on defense. Baer handled a few snaps at quarterback, completing 1 of 4 passes for 4 yards and rushing for 11 yards. All three played on defense and special teams.

“They played well in their spots … All three of them can help,” St. Al coach Jim Taylor said. “Our kids are pretty smart. They want to win. It’d be pretty dumb not to welcome three guys who can help you do that. I think it’s going to work out pretty well. They showed on the field tonight that they need to be on the field.”

Vicksburg High and Warren Central have also picked up several players from the Mississippi coast and New Orleans, but none played in those teams’ games on Friday.

Vicksburg offensive coordinator Jackie Williamson said paperwork and physicals kept the Gators’ four newcomers – Ryan Walker, Kalum Martin, Jimmy Rowster and John Dunn – from dressing out against Natchez, but at least two could be in uniform for this week’s game against Hazlehurst.

“The teaching has already started, we’re just waiting on the paperwork,” Williamson said.