lakers
02-12-2008, 12:49 PM
Playing this one for Paige
De Leon girls team goes ahead with playoff game despite grief
HAMILTON -- The No. 14 jersey was draped conspicuously over an empty seat on the end of the De Leon girls basketball team's bench -- a quiet, yet stark reminder of the tragedy that had befallen the team over the weekend.
For the record, Valley Mills defeated De Leon, 50-35, in Monday's Class A bi-district game in the Hamilton gym.
For most of those in attendance, however, the real story was that the De Leon girls had chosen to play at all.
Just hours removed from learning that their teammate, sophomore Paige Sanders, had died from injuries suffered in a four-wheeler collision, coach Heath Gibson gave the Lady Cats a choice: play the game, or call it quits.
Sanders, 15, died at 10:14 a.m. Sunday at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, two days after the westbound four-wheeler on which she was a passenger slid into the side of an oncoming dump truck on Farm Road 435 near De Leon. She was flown to Fort Worth from Comanche County Medical Center.
The driver of the four-wheeler, Mike Reyes, 17, of De Leon, was treated for minor injuries. Trooper Scott Rountree of the Department of Public Safety reported Reyes tried to avoid the dump truck, but the four-wheeler skidded.
According to the Department of Public Safety, all-terrain vehicles may not be driven on public roads in most instances. According to the accident report, alcohol was not a factor in the collision, no charges have been filed and no tickets were issued.
"The girls were pretty much devastated," De Leon school Superintendent Randy Mohundro said. "As soon as we heard about it, we tried to get them all together and counsel them.
"We gave the girls the option of whether or not to play this ball game. They decided that it was what Paige would have wanted, so that's why we're here. It was the girls' decision, and we were going to respect whatever their decision was."
Given secret ballots by coach Gibson to avoid any peer pressure, the grief-stricken girls voted 9-0 on Sunday to play.
Their decision was strengthened by the support of Sanders' mother, Linda, who told Gibson that Paige would have been "furious" if the Lady Cats had chosen to end their season.
To the surprise of many, Linda attended Monday's game.
"I had to be here," she said. "This was Paige's life. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't tougher than I thought it would be, but I just had to be here for her."
Understandably, the tone in the neutral-site Hamilton gym was largely subdued, even among De Leon fans who wore playoff T-shirts with the words "For Paige" printed on the back.
A group of shirtless male De Leon students, each with one large letter printed on their chests as part of a "Go Lady Cats" sign, attempted to add an emotional spark with a large "14" (Sanders' number) painted on their backs.
However, most of the fans sitting on the De Leon side appeared as emotionally drained as the players on the floor.
"You could see (the impact) just from the crowd tonight," Mohundro said. "De Leon is a very close-knit community and when things like this happen, it affects us all.
"We'll do whatever we can to help the family. There have been funds set up at the local banks, we've set up a scholarship in Paige's memory, and I believe her service might be held in our school gymnasium later this week."
Much of the outpouring has come from outside De Leon. Several area coaches and administrators have called De Leon, offering condolences. The Tolar team sent a bouquet of flowers.
So did the Valley Mills team, not long before the girls were to take the court to try to outscore De Leon and advance in the playoffs.
Valley Mills coach Lloyd Vedder said his team could barely practice after receiving the news.
"A cold chill went down my spine when I heard about it," he said. "Some of my players started crying and all of them agreed that they needed to do something, so they bought the flowers."
From the time Sanders was transferred to the intensive care unit on Friday, most of the De Leon team had traveled to Fort Worth to visit her, barely giving them time to practice.
After deciding to play, the Lady Cats elected to wear black bands on both forearms to honor Sanders, who had spent time with both the varsity and junior varsity teams this season.
"It's been devastating to our community, and it will take a long time to heal," Gibson said, fighting back tears. "I don't know how the girls did it. Honestly, I was having a hard time focusing on the bus ride over here.
"It was very tough on me, and I'm not a 15- or 16-year-old kid who just lost my one of my friends."
Sophomore Kaitlyn Wilkerson was in precisely that position, having lost the person whom she considered to be her best friend. But she said the team had to play.
"We felt like we owed it to Paige," said Wilkerson, whose eyes were swollen from having wept in the locker room. "If she could fight for her life as long as she did, we should be able to fight to win the game for her. So we went out and tried our hardest."
Perhaps some positives will be drawn from Paige's death. Her mother plans to spearhead an effort to improve safety laws on four-wheelers, hoping to save some lives.
"Her death is going to mean something," Linda said. "Hopefully, it will result in (legislation) requiring helmets to be worn on four-wheelers. If Paige had been wearing a helmet, I believe she'd still be with us."
Texas law requires helmets and eye protection if ATV drivers travel on public property -- but not necessarily if the ATV is used on a public road.
Other positives may not be as obvious. But Mohundro said they must be sought out to help the young athletes, and their community, heal.
"We try to look for positives in this sort of situation," he said. "It might get the kids to realize that their actions have consequences and that they're not invincible. Even at their age, life is precious, and that life can be taken from you based on your decisions.
"We also know that Paige will be an organ donor, so it is possible that a life will be saved ... even though we lost her."Link (http://www.reporternews.com/news/2008/feb/11/playing-this-one-for-paige/)
De Leon girls team goes ahead with playoff game despite grief
HAMILTON -- The No. 14 jersey was draped conspicuously over an empty seat on the end of the De Leon girls basketball team's bench -- a quiet, yet stark reminder of the tragedy that had befallen the team over the weekend.
For the record, Valley Mills defeated De Leon, 50-35, in Monday's Class A bi-district game in the Hamilton gym.
For most of those in attendance, however, the real story was that the De Leon girls had chosen to play at all.
Just hours removed from learning that their teammate, sophomore Paige Sanders, had died from injuries suffered in a four-wheeler collision, coach Heath Gibson gave the Lady Cats a choice: play the game, or call it quits.
Sanders, 15, died at 10:14 a.m. Sunday at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, two days after the westbound four-wheeler on which she was a passenger slid into the side of an oncoming dump truck on Farm Road 435 near De Leon. She was flown to Fort Worth from Comanche County Medical Center.
The driver of the four-wheeler, Mike Reyes, 17, of De Leon, was treated for minor injuries. Trooper Scott Rountree of the Department of Public Safety reported Reyes tried to avoid the dump truck, but the four-wheeler skidded.
According to the Department of Public Safety, all-terrain vehicles may not be driven on public roads in most instances. According to the accident report, alcohol was not a factor in the collision, no charges have been filed and no tickets were issued.
"The girls were pretty much devastated," De Leon school Superintendent Randy Mohundro said. "As soon as we heard about it, we tried to get them all together and counsel them.
"We gave the girls the option of whether or not to play this ball game. They decided that it was what Paige would have wanted, so that's why we're here. It was the girls' decision, and we were going to respect whatever their decision was."
Given secret ballots by coach Gibson to avoid any peer pressure, the grief-stricken girls voted 9-0 on Sunday to play.
Their decision was strengthened by the support of Sanders' mother, Linda, who told Gibson that Paige would have been "furious" if the Lady Cats had chosen to end their season.
To the surprise of many, Linda attended Monday's game.
"I had to be here," she said. "This was Paige's life. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't tougher than I thought it would be, but I just had to be here for her."
Understandably, the tone in the neutral-site Hamilton gym was largely subdued, even among De Leon fans who wore playoff T-shirts with the words "For Paige" printed on the back.
A group of shirtless male De Leon students, each with one large letter printed on their chests as part of a "Go Lady Cats" sign, attempted to add an emotional spark with a large "14" (Sanders' number) painted on their backs.
However, most of the fans sitting on the De Leon side appeared as emotionally drained as the players on the floor.
"You could see (the impact) just from the crowd tonight," Mohundro said. "De Leon is a very close-knit community and when things like this happen, it affects us all.
"We'll do whatever we can to help the family. There have been funds set up at the local banks, we've set up a scholarship in Paige's memory, and I believe her service might be held in our school gymnasium later this week."
Much of the outpouring has come from outside De Leon. Several area coaches and administrators have called De Leon, offering condolences. The Tolar team sent a bouquet of flowers.
So did the Valley Mills team, not long before the girls were to take the court to try to outscore De Leon and advance in the playoffs.
Valley Mills coach Lloyd Vedder said his team could barely practice after receiving the news.
"A cold chill went down my spine when I heard about it," he said. "Some of my players started crying and all of them agreed that they needed to do something, so they bought the flowers."
From the time Sanders was transferred to the intensive care unit on Friday, most of the De Leon team had traveled to Fort Worth to visit her, barely giving them time to practice.
After deciding to play, the Lady Cats elected to wear black bands on both forearms to honor Sanders, who had spent time with both the varsity and junior varsity teams this season.
"It's been devastating to our community, and it will take a long time to heal," Gibson said, fighting back tears. "I don't know how the girls did it. Honestly, I was having a hard time focusing on the bus ride over here.
"It was very tough on me, and I'm not a 15- or 16-year-old kid who just lost my one of my friends."
Sophomore Kaitlyn Wilkerson was in precisely that position, having lost the person whom she considered to be her best friend. But she said the team had to play.
"We felt like we owed it to Paige," said Wilkerson, whose eyes were swollen from having wept in the locker room. "If she could fight for her life as long as she did, we should be able to fight to win the game for her. So we went out and tried our hardest."
Perhaps some positives will be drawn from Paige's death. Her mother plans to spearhead an effort to improve safety laws on four-wheelers, hoping to save some lives.
"Her death is going to mean something," Linda said. "Hopefully, it will result in (legislation) requiring helmets to be worn on four-wheelers. If Paige had been wearing a helmet, I believe she'd still be with us."
Texas law requires helmets and eye protection if ATV drivers travel on public property -- but not necessarily if the ATV is used on a public road.
Other positives may not be as obvious. But Mohundro said they must be sought out to help the young athletes, and their community, heal.
"We try to look for positives in this sort of situation," he said. "It might get the kids to realize that their actions have consequences and that they're not invincible. Even at their age, life is precious, and that life can be taken from you based on your decisions.
"We also know that Paige will be an organ donor, so it is possible that a life will be saved ... even though we lost her."Link (http://www.reporternews.com/news/2008/feb/11/playing-this-one-for-paige/)