MamaBull
12-16-2009, 01:32 AM
It's a story straight out of the movies.
A father fighting cancer - battling to make it until his sons' championship football season is over - loses his battle two weeks ago. But not before making one final plea to his boys:
"Win it for me," he said.
They did.
When Pilot Point (Texas) High captured the Texas 2A Division 1 title this weekend, Jarman Johnson and Willie Davis granted his wish.
Their father was the inspiration.
"Henry Melvin Davis," Jarman told the Dallas Morning News after the game. "That's my daddy. We did it for him. We came out and won this game for him, not for us but for the man in the sky."
The previous Monday, the boys - and all of their teammates - were at their father's funeral. Their teammates understood what the title game meant to them.
"His words were, 'Win it for me,'" wide receiver Justin Chambers told the Dallas ABC-TV affiliate (WFAA) before the game. "Jarman has been saying every week, 'This is for my daddy, this is for my daddy.' We're hoping to do it for his daddy."
Offensive lineman Cam Feldt said it became a rallying point.
"We gotta do the best we can and move past this, and use this to really pull the team together and focus and get it done for Jarman and Willie," he told the station.
The game, it turned out, was the easiest part as the school completed a 15-0 season with its first state title since 1981.
Johnson was the star, running for 242 yards and four touchdowns in his team's 35-18 victory against Kirbyville. It was the culmination of the roughest two weeks of his life.
When it was over - when his teammates were racing onto to the field to celebrate their triumph - Johnson made a slow walk to the group, taking it all in.
A cheerleader hugged him. So did several teammates. A Kirbyville coach shook his hand and whispered in his ear.
He had done it. For his dad.
"It's been one of those storybook seasons," head coach Blake Feldt told the Morning News.
Now comes the hard part - moving on. Jarman is a senior; Willie is a junior.
They are the two youngest of an extended family that has dealt with difficult issues before. When Jarman was born, his father was in a diabetic coma. Not knowing if he would recover, the family decided to give Jarman his mother's name.
His father came out of the coma, but battled health issues for much of his life.
Pilot Point principal Lori Sitzes knows her work - and the work of the community during this tragedy - isn't over.
"We are asking ourselves, 'How can we continue to support this family and these two boys,'" she said. "They are very excited about the state championship, but we know what they are going to go through in the grieving process during a difficult time of year."
Sitzes knows she will have lots of help.
"We have a very supportive atmosphere," she said. "Our kids are very close-knit. If they have classmates that are in need, they are there for one another."
The support extends further.
On Sunday night, just a day after the school won the title in San Marcus, a site that was more than a four-hour drive from the school, Sitzes was stunned at how many people came out for a dinner to raise money for the family. The dinner raised more than $4,000.
It's just the first of many things the school has planned.
"We know we need to be there for them," Sitzes said. "Everything we've done for them, it's not enough. We need to be there for them: When they need a break, when they need to talk, when they are just missing their dad."
A father fighting cancer - battling to make it until his sons' championship football season is over - loses his battle two weeks ago. But not before making one final plea to his boys:
"Win it for me," he said.
They did.
When Pilot Point (Texas) High captured the Texas 2A Division 1 title this weekend, Jarman Johnson and Willie Davis granted his wish.
Their father was the inspiration.
"Henry Melvin Davis," Jarman told the Dallas Morning News after the game. "That's my daddy. We did it for him. We came out and won this game for him, not for us but for the man in the sky."
The previous Monday, the boys - and all of their teammates - were at their father's funeral. Their teammates understood what the title game meant to them.
"His words were, 'Win it for me,'" wide receiver Justin Chambers told the Dallas ABC-TV affiliate (WFAA) before the game. "Jarman has been saying every week, 'This is for my daddy, this is for my daddy.' We're hoping to do it for his daddy."
Offensive lineman Cam Feldt said it became a rallying point.
"We gotta do the best we can and move past this, and use this to really pull the team together and focus and get it done for Jarman and Willie," he told the station.
The game, it turned out, was the easiest part as the school completed a 15-0 season with its first state title since 1981.
Johnson was the star, running for 242 yards and four touchdowns in his team's 35-18 victory against Kirbyville. It was the culmination of the roughest two weeks of his life.
When it was over - when his teammates were racing onto to the field to celebrate their triumph - Johnson made a slow walk to the group, taking it all in.
A cheerleader hugged him. So did several teammates. A Kirbyville coach shook his hand and whispered in his ear.
He had done it. For his dad.
"It's been one of those storybook seasons," head coach Blake Feldt told the Morning News.
Now comes the hard part - moving on. Jarman is a senior; Willie is a junior.
They are the two youngest of an extended family that has dealt with difficult issues before. When Jarman was born, his father was in a diabetic coma. Not knowing if he would recover, the family decided to give Jarman his mother's name.
His father came out of the coma, but battled health issues for much of his life.
Pilot Point principal Lori Sitzes knows her work - and the work of the community during this tragedy - isn't over.
"We are asking ourselves, 'How can we continue to support this family and these two boys,'" she said. "They are very excited about the state championship, but we know what they are going to go through in the grieving process during a difficult time of year."
Sitzes knows she will have lots of help.
"We have a very supportive atmosphere," she said. "Our kids are very close-knit. If they have classmates that are in need, they are there for one another."
The support extends further.
On Sunday night, just a day after the school won the title in San Marcus, a site that was more than a four-hour drive from the school, Sitzes was stunned at how many people came out for a dinner to raise money for the family. The dinner raised more than $4,000.
It's just the first of many things the school has planned.
"We know we need to be there for them," Sitzes said. "Everything we've done for them, it's not enough. We need to be there for them: When they need a break, when they need to talk, when they are just missing their dad."