On Thursday night in this small town not far from the coast of Lake Michigan, a tiny high school gym was packed with basketball fans that got to witness perfection.
In the blink of an eye, however, it was replaced with shock, despair and sadness.
Junior Wes Leonard had just led his team, the Fennville Blackhawks, to a perfect 20-0 season. His layup in the final minute of the OT game provided the winning margin.
Seconds later, the 16-year-old collapsed to the floor; he was pronounced dead less than an hour later at Holland Hospital.
"He was the perfect teammate," senior Adam Siegel said on Friday. "He was strong for us when we needed him and just did everything right. He was always a happy person, never sad. Just happy, happy, happy."
Instead of celebrating their team, the people of Fennville, and even more poignantly, the players and coaches Leonard had sweated with all year long, are now being forced to deal with the loss of their friend.
"There are no words," football coach Tim Schipper said of the loss of Leonard, who also was the school's quarterback. "I've said this 100 times. I just can't grasp the significance of this. It's just unbelievable. If I had some words, they'd be out by now. I just don't have any."
Basketball coach Ryan Klingler emphasized the loss goes much further than the basketball court or the football field.
"It's losing a friend," he said. "For these guys, for myself, for the other coaches, for the family that lost a brother and a son. I can't put it into words because it's just tearing me up. He was a special kid with a passion that you just don't get to see all the time."
Superintendent Dirk Weeldreyer called Leonard the "All-American kid."
Indescribable was the common reaction around town Friday. It is a town that dealt with something similar just more than a year ago when 14-year-old Nathaniel Hernandez died at home after suffering a seizure in January 2010. Hernandez had wrestled for Fennville earlier that night.
On Friday, at Su Casa restaurant in town, customers surrounded televisions reporting news of Leonard's death.
"It's been tough, just a lot of sadness," said 17-year-old Jackie Serrato, a senior at Fennville High and waitress at the restaurant. "I know how heartbreaking it was. There weren't a lot of people at school — just a lot of sadness."
A town in shock
At the high school, students were let out early and plans were being made to make signs and decorate the hallways.
Leonard's parents and brother were at the game. His mother, Jocelyn, is a choir teacher at the middle and high schools and director of Fennville High's production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." A performance of the musical scheduled for Friday was canceled, and it was uncertain whether today's or Sunday's shows would happen, either.
It was all in the aftermath of what should have been a great night in this town of fewer than 1,500.
Thursday's game was a big deal with the Blackhawks playing Bridgman, the team that eliminated them from last season's state tournament in the regional finals.
It had all the makings of a Hollywood movie. The game went to overtime and with less than a minute to play, the scored was tied, 55-55.
That's when the Blackhawks called on their star player. Leonard had scored 19 points, and when the game was on the line, everyone in the gym knew who was going to get the ball.
"Wes got the ball at the top of the key," Klingler said, "and he was determined that he was going to get to the rim and score. He made a great play and went right down the middle of the lane. We defended at the other end and the buzzer sounded."
Fennville 57, Bridgman 55. Perfection had been attained.
Jubilation followed. Students filled the court.
Klingler decided to address his team briefly near the bench, wanting them to experience the joy of their success with fellow students, family, the entire community.
'Something was wrong'
At the center of the excitement was Leonard. His teammates hugged him and hoisted him in the air. No one was surprised that it was Leonard who scored the winner.
"He knows exactly what he's doing on the court," said teammate DeMarcus McGee.
Klingler headed for the locker room, brimming with happiness. It seemed as if nothing could ruin this night for the people of Fennville.
Then, Klingler heard his name being yelled from across the gym and it stopped him in his tracks.
"I was just around the corner and heard someone screaming for me," Klingler recalled on Friday. "Just the scream … I knew something was wrong. The way someone called for me, I just knew it probably wasn't a very good thing."
Klingler sprinted back to the court and found Leonard lying on the floor.
"Seconds after I got to him, someone else, a paramedic or someone trained, kind of moved me aside," the coach said, still coming to grips with what he remembered. "So I knew something was serious."
On Friday, the Ottawa County medical examiner said Leonard died of a heart attack due to dilated cardiomyopathy.
The condition is often referred to as an enlarged heart, which becomes weakened and can't pump blood efficiently. The condition can occur at any age but is most common in adult men. While symptoms typically develop over time, they can also arise suddenly, resulting in death.
Athletes typically have hearts that are slightly larger than those of non-athletes, said Dr. Theodore Schreiber, president of the Detroit Medical Center Cardiovascular Institute.
But an enlargement of the heart that leads to death is caused either by an infection of the heart with viruses or advanced forms of cardiomyopathy, a weakness of the heart muscle often rooted in genetics.
"Although the most common of sudden cardiac death in young athletes is cardiomyopathy, it is a very, very rare condition," Schreiber said. "Nevertheless, there is a recommendation by professional medical societies that if a young person is going to participate in rigorous physical activity, they should have a physical examination that includes an electrocardiogram."
Leonard reportedly had the flu last week and it was unclear whether that could have made his condition worse.
"He took care of his body so well and that's how he lived," Klingler said. "He did everything the best he could. … He was in great physical shape from what we could see. That makes it more tragic and unbelievable what has happened."
The basketball team must now decide whether to play on Monday when the state tournament begins.
It's not hard to understand. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Leonard was their best player and their leader. On Feb. 11, he surpassed 1,000 career points. He was also a star football player, leading the Blackhawks to the second round of the state playoffs.
'I just cried'
As coaches and players spoke on Friday, they stopped often, overcome with emotion.
When Klingler broke down at one point, it was McGee who put his hand on his coach's leg and gave him a quick pat.
When the players couldn't speak, the coaches filled in.
At the end of a news conference called in the lobby of the small school, Siegel and McGee didn't move. Seconds later, their teammates circled them and held them tight in a group embrace.
"Wes was my best friend and I didn't want anything to happen to him," McGee said, recalling the horrifying moments after Leonard collapsed. "I went to the locker room and I just cried. I couldn't hold it back."
For Klingler, the burly coach with the reputation for booming halftime speeches, Friday was a day he had no speeches for, only a desire to have everything make sense.
"I'd trade places with him," he said, tears streaming down his face. "I don't want him gone. He was part of my family, just like all these guys are. His family is part of my family. It's like losing someone so close that I can't believe it all happened like this."
In the blink of an eye, however, it was replaced with shock, despair and sadness.
Junior Wes Leonard had just led his team, the Fennville Blackhawks, to a perfect 20-0 season. His layup in the final minute of the OT game provided the winning margin.
Seconds later, the 16-year-old collapsed to the floor; he was pronounced dead less than an hour later at Holland Hospital.
"He was the perfect teammate," senior Adam Siegel said on Friday. "He was strong for us when we needed him and just did everything right. He was always a happy person, never sad. Just happy, happy, happy."
Instead of celebrating their team, the people of Fennville, and even more poignantly, the players and coaches Leonard had sweated with all year long, are now being forced to deal with the loss of their friend.
"There are no words," football coach Tim Schipper said of the loss of Leonard, who also was the school's quarterback. "I've said this 100 times. I just can't grasp the significance of this. It's just unbelievable. If I had some words, they'd be out by now. I just don't have any."
Basketball coach Ryan Klingler emphasized the loss goes much further than the basketball court or the football field.
"It's losing a friend," he said. "For these guys, for myself, for the other coaches, for the family that lost a brother and a son. I can't put it into words because it's just tearing me up. He was a special kid with a passion that you just don't get to see all the time."
Superintendent Dirk Weeldreyer called Leonard the "All-American kid."
Indescribable was the common reaction around town Friday. It is a town that dealt with something similar just more than a year ago when 14-year-old Nathaniel Hernandez died at home after suffering a seizure in January 2010. Hernandez had wrestled for Fennville earlier that night.
On Friday, at Su Casa restaurant in town, customers surrounded televisions reporting news of Leonard's death.
"It's been tough, just a lot of sadness," said 17-year-old Jackie Serrato, a senior at Fennville High and waitress at the restaurant. "I know how heartbreaking it was. There weren't a lot of people at school — just a lot of sadness."
A town in shock
At the high school, students were let out early and plans were being made to make signs and decorate the hallways.
Leonard's parents and brother were at the game. His mother, Jocelyn, is a choir teacher at the middle and high schools and director of Fennville High's production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." A performance of the musical scheduled for Friday was canceled, and it was uncertain whether today's or Sunday's shows would happen, either.
It was all in the aftermath of what should have been a great night in this town of fewer than 1,500.
Thursday's game was a big deal with the Blackhawks playing Bridgman, the team that eliminated them from last season's state tournament in the regional finals.
It had all the makings of a Hollywood movie. The game went to overtime and with less than a minute to play, the scored was tied, 55-55.
That's when the Blackhawks called on their star player. Leonard had scored 19 points, and when the game was on the line, everyone in the gym knew who was going to get the ball.
"Wes got the ball at the top of the key," Klingler said, "and he was determined that he was going to get to the rim and score. He made a great play and went right down the middle of the lane. We defended at the other end and the buzzer sounded."
Fennville 57, Bridgman 55. Perfection had been attained.
Jubilation followed. Students filled the court.
Klingler decided to address his team briefly near the bench, wanting them to experience the joy of their success with fellow students, family, the entire community.
'Something was wrong'
At the center of the excitement was Leonard. His teammates hugged him and hoisted him in the air. No one was surprised that it was Leonard who scored the winner.
"He knows exactly what he's doing on the court," said teammate DeMarcus McGee.
Klingler headed for the locker room, brimming with happiness. It seemed as if nothing could ruin this night for the people of Fennville.
Then, Klingler heard his name being yelled from across the gym and it stopped him in his tracks.
"I was just around the corner and heard someone screaming for me," Klingler recalled on Friday. "Just the scream … I knew something was wrong. The way someone called for me, I just knew it probably wasn't a very good thing."
Klingler sprinted back to the court and found Leonard lying on the floor.
"Seconds after I got to him, someone else, a paramedic or someone trained, kind of moved me aside," the coach said, still coming to grips with what he remembered. "So I knew something was serious."
On Friday, the Ottawa County medical examiner said Leonard died of a heart attack due to dilated cardiomyopathy.
The condition is often referred to as an enlarged heart, which becomes weakened and can't pump blood efficiently. The condition can occur at any age but is most common in adult men. While symptoms typically develop over time, they can also arise suddenly, resulting in death.
Athletes typically have hearts that are slightly larger than those of non-athletes, said Dr. Theodore Schreiber, president of the Detroit Medical Center Cardiovascular Institute.
But an enlargement of the heart that leads to death is caused either by an infection of the heart with viruses or advanced forms of cardiomyopathy, a weakness of the heart muscle often rooted in genetics.
"Although the most common of sudden cardiac death in young athletes is cardiomyopathy, it is a very, very rare condition," Schreiber said. "Nevertheless, there is a recommendation by professional medical societies that if a young person is going to participate in rigorous physical activity, they should have a physical examination that includes an electrocardiogram."
Leonard reportedly had the flu last week and it was unclear whether that could have made his condition worse.
"He took care of his body so well and that's how he lived," Klingler said. "He did everything the best he could. … He was in great physical shape from what we could see. That makes it more tragic and unbelievable what has happened."
The basketball team must now decide whether to play on Monday when the state tournament begins.
It's not hard to understand. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Leonard was their best player and their leader. On Feb. 11, he surpassed 1,000 career points. He was also a star football player, leading the Blackhawks to the second round of the state playoffs.
'I just cried'
As coaches and players spoke on Friday, they stopped often, overcome with emotion.
When Klingler broke down at one point, it was McGee who put his hand on his coach's leg and gave him a quick pat.
When the players couldn't speak, the coaches filled in.
At the end of a news conference called in the lobby of the small school, Siegel and McGee didn't move. Seconds later, their teammates circled them and held them tight in a group embrace.
"Wes was my best friend and I didn't want anything to happen to him," McGee said, recalling the horrifying moments after Leonard collapsed. "I went to the locker room and I just cried. I couldn't hold it back."
For Klingler, the burly coach with the reputation for booming halftime speeches, Friday was a day he had no speeches for, only a desire to have everything make sense.
"I'd trade places with him," he said, tears streaming down his face. "I don't want him gone. He was part of my family, just like all these guys are. His family is part of my family. It's like losing someone so close that I can't believe it all happened like this."
No comments:
Post a Comment