Beaufort lineman short of hair, long on generosity

Ever heard the story of Samson, the Biblical character whose strength lie in his hair?

As long as Samson stays out of the barber's chair, he can kill lions bare-handed and slay 1,000 men at a time. But when his wife, Delilah, deceptively cuts his hair, Samson is rendered helpless, allowing his enemies to gouge out his eyes and lock him in prison.

For some, it might be easy to pass off this story as rubbish and simply a myth.

But then you come across a kid like Seth Long, a sophomore lineman for the Beaufort High School football team, and things make a little more sense.

Four years ago, Long decided to start growing out his dirty blond hair. No particular reason, really. Just a harmless way to express himself to the world.

The experiment continued until last month, when Beaufort High strength coach Danny Williams got a bright idea during one of the team's weightlifting sessions.

"Hey, why don't you cut off that hair and donate it to Locks of Love?" Long recalls Williams saying in reference to the non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to children who lost their hair due to a medical condition.

So, Friday evening, before the Eagles took part in their annual intrasquad scrimmage, there was Long, grinning nervously on a stool while two women tied his streaming hair into 18, foot-long locks before breaking out the scissors.

After the first few pieces were cut, Long playfully exhaled and joked about how the haircut also meant that he wouldn't have to buy as much shampoo anymore.

With the exception of the one given to Long as a keepsake, each strand was stuffed in a plastic bag for shipment to Locks of Love. But the makeover wasn't quite done.

Libby DeLoach and Debra Faulkner, the same women wielding the scissors, also served as Long's stylists. They evened out his now short ends and moisturized his new, slicked-back 'do before placing a mirror in front of Long, whose wide-open jaw quickly morphed into an even wider smile.

"Maybe now my teammates won't call me 'Sunshine' like the guy with the long hair from 'Remember the Titans,' " Long said afterward.

The crowd of teenagers and adoring parents gaping in awe from the stands could have made it a scene from one of those teen makeover movies. Difference was, Long's new look wasn't to get the girl or gain popularity. Nope, this makeover actually had some substance behind it.

"I don't need my hair anymore," Long said. "It was a good way to change a simple haircut into something that can help somebody out."

Which reaffirms the point of a story like Samson's in that strength can lie within the smallest of things. And while this something is carelessly snipped off or washed down the drain everyday, it also is something that many unfortunate children across the nation wish they had.

"I'm proud of him," said Seth's father, Troy. "He's a good-looking guy with or without the long hair, but now somebody else can look just as good, too."

An injury to his left knee kept Seth out of the scrimmage, meaning he'll have to wait some before getting a feel for how his helmet would now fit or seeing if the absence of his mane would mean extra speed on the field.

Still, as Long worked the chains during Friday's game, he often found himself streaming his free hand through the back of his head -- not in disappointment, but rather in a justified sense of pride.

See, unlike Samson, Long's haircut didn't cause his strength to vanish; it multiplied. That's because his decision not only empowers a worthy cause, but it also has the power to inspire others toward equally commendable acts of service.

And even if no one chooses Long's path, by the sound of things, Locks of Love can expect another Beaufort donation in the near future.

"By senior year, hopefully I'll have enough hair to do this again," Long said. "It just feels good to do something like this, so why not do it again?"