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Thursday, November 1, 2007
Dealing With a Loss
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By: Zach Warner
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Photo(s) By: Shawn Smajstrla
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Football teams learn to cope with wins and losses, but for Mansfield Summit, this loss was unlike any other experienced before.
Dealing with the death of a young person is never easy. It’s even more difficult when it happens unexpectedly in a setting as fun and familiar as the football field. But that’s the tragedy Mansfield Summit found itself coping with after 15-year-old Dozie Njeako collapsed and died while playing in a junior varsity game Sept. 6. Making the experience that much more painful is knowing they have lost an exceptional young man, Summit football coach Kyle Geller said.
“He didn’t have many bad days,” said Geller, who had known Njeako the past two years. “He was always pretty happy and in a good mood, and he was friends with everybody. It didn’t matter what color you were or how popular you were. If my son was to grow up to be like him at age 15, I’d be a very happy daddy. His parents did a great job with him.”
Njeako, a sophomore, was a talented, versatile athlete that was just coming into his own. Tall with long arms, he was an agile defensive end for the Summit JV football team and a promising basketball player that dunked the ball during competition as a freshman.
Njeako’s older brother, Ikenna, is a senior linebacker on the varsity team. His younger brother, Chudi, is a lineman on the freshman team. Njeako’s name is often brought up by the Summit football teams, which have dedicated the season to the fallen athlete.
“It’s a very tragic situation, and when you keep it in the forefront of your mind – and it’s going to be there – it’s tough,” said Debbie Weems, Mansfield ISD athletic director.
“Sometimes you have to file it away temporarily, but it’s never totally gone. I think our coaching staff is doing a good job of being there for our kids. The coaching staff and the school is allowing these kids to deal with it the way they need to deal with it, learning how to move forward from here.”
Tributes to Njeako are still visible in various places. Summit’s Web site has a tribute to the athlete on the school’s athletic homepage. Students have worn T-shirts with Njeako’s name and the letters ‘R.I.P.’ on them. After scores during football games, when students run carrying flags across the field with S, H and S for Summit High School, a flag with the No. 40 on it, Njeako’s jersey number, follows close behind.
Teachers and students alike were affected by the loss, Summit principal Donna Grant said. Njeako, whose family is originally from Nigeria, was friendly and likeable, and he was exceptional in the classroom. Dozie was an honor student with an ‘A’ average.
Just how much he meant to the students was evident when representatives with the Dallas Cowboys made a presentation at a school pep rally in late September, naming Summit the football team of the week in Njeako’s honor.
“[The students] gave a huge ovation,” Grant said. “You could tell from the passion and reaction of the crowd that this young man was very much loved.”
The love and support shown regarding Njeako has not been limited to students at the Summit campus. Grant said the school has heard from people and schools from other parts of the state. Various Mansfield school district campuses have also done things to honor Njeako.
A candlelight vigil the day after his death was held at Mansfield Legacy High School. Members of Mansfield High’s football team have worn an ‘S’ on their helmets to remember Summit’s loss. Teachers from other schools in the district offered to cover Summit teachers’ shifts so that many could make it to Njeako’s funeral.
“We have had growth and new attendance zones and different schools and even a little rivalry and competition because of that [among Mansfield schools],” Grant said. “But when this happened, it really showed that we are truly one community that can come together.”
The community has shown Njeako’s family support through it all, creating a memorial fund in his name at Frost Bank in Mansfield. School officials and students continue to reach out to Njeako’s brothers, offering to be there for them as well, Grant said.
Summit football players have rallied around and supported each other since Njeako’s death. The loss was a reminder to everyone of life’s frailty, as well as the departure of a great teammate and friend.
“They realize that there are no guarantees in life,” Geller said. “You have to play each play 100 percent and do your best, because you never know what’s going to happen. It kind of woke them up to that fact of life.
“These guys have been through a lot,” he added. “We’ll always remember Dozie. We’ll always have him in our hearts.”
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