Support for West Orange-Stark HS Poured in After the School Lost its Football Quarterback

By Meri Elen Jacobs, Yearbook/Newspaper Adviser at WO-S HS | Wednesday, November 10, 2010 9:13 AM

Talking to the local news stations, West Orange-Stark senior Donisha Mosby expresses her thanks for the support that the high school received after Reggie Garrett's death. West Brook High School students hold chains in the background that were made for WO-S to hang on their fences at the home games. "It was amazing and emotional to see all those chain links for Reggie," Mosby said. "It was good to see everybody come together in our time of need."

Photo by WO-S junior Alayna Jacobs

They came in boxes and garbage bags — green and gold linked to red and baby blue, black and red linked to purple and white. Many came with notes on every individual link — “RIP Reggie Garrett,” “112%,” or other supportive messages. Some arrived with long messages and others with drawings fit to be in an art contest.

The support was overwhelming.

Elementary schools, middle schools and high schools all over the state from El Paso to Marshall, Bridgeport to New Braunfels sent paper chain links to hang around the football field for the first game after the West Orange-Stark Mustangs lost our senior quarterback, Reggie Garrett, on Sept. 17.

Game Day, Sept. 17
That day in September began as any other Friday game day. Students were greeted with decorated windows showing off school spirit. Paper megaphones, boots and footballs with names of all the participants were hung up and down the hallways above the lockers. Posters with “Go Mustangs” and “Beat those Bulldogs!” graced every wall that was available.

This would be the first home game of the year, and the team was seeking revenge. The Jasper Bulldogs beat our Mustangs in a hard-fought game last year, 23-13. The community also was excited about the first tailgate party, hosted by the school in the parking lot from 5 to 7 p.m.

No one suspected that around 8:30 p.m. that night, with a little more than nine minutes left in the second quarter, quarterback Reggie Garrett, #12 who always gave 112%, would throw a perfect touchdown pass to his favorite receiver, Mark Roberts, and then run to the sidelines, collapse and never get up.

And no one could imagine the support that would follow. All over the state that night, teams prayed for the West Orange-Stark Mustangs and the Garrett family in their after-game huddles. By the next morning, teams from the area had brought team shirts and hung them on our stadium fence with messages showing their support.

That Weekend
The following night, Saturday, a neighboring football team, West Brook High School, had “RIP Reggie” and “112%” written all over themselves for their game.

And on Sunday, counselors from 11 area schools gathered to plan how to deal with the students and staff for the next week.
So many messages were left on the athletic office answering machine over the weekend that it took the secretary all day to listen to them. The office also had numerous phone calls and emails — some from as far away as Hawaii and others from people as famous as the Houston Texans and Lovie Smith of the Chicago Bears.

But what meant the most to us was the way that schools all over Texas reached out to our school, our students and our city in this time of crisis and tragedy. Schools sent posters of encouragement that were hung all over the school.

The Memorial Service Day
Several Nederland High School players and coaches showed up the morning of the memorial with more words of encouragement and a beautifully framed and signed picture from the game against them earlier in the season. Others athletes sent monogrammed towels and helmet stickers. A high school coach from Grapevine Faith Christian School sent autographed books, “Remember Why You Play” with a personal letter for each player. The response was overwhelming.

Right after the memorial service, many of our West Orange-Stark football players, dressed in their jerseys, showed up at the cross-town rivals’ game — the Bears at Little Cypress-Mauriceville. It happened to be the end of halftime, and the Bears’ head coach let our athletes join his players in their tunnel.

Our football players ran onto the field side-by-side with the Bears, and then our athletes stayed on the sidelines to cheer for their rivals. Several West Orange-Stark varsity players even ran the flag each time the Bears scored. At the end of the game, all of the athletes gathered in the post-game huddle and said the Lord’s Prayer together. Then, together the boys stood and watched a video tribute that Little Cypress-Mauriceville had made to Reggie.

Cross-town rivals, arm-in-arm, cheering each other on was something this town had never experienced.

West Orange-Stark Final Home Game
For the final home game, we hung the last of the paper chains around the football field. The school received so many that the chains covered the fences for three home games. And not one single student complained about having to hang them … after all, they were for Reggie.
After that final home game as the chains were taken down, a message caught my eye. It read:
 

• “My prayers and thoughts go out to Reggie’s classmates, friends and family members. When you feel like everything that surrounds you falls down and you’re ready to fall down with it, know that He will be behind you with open arms. We at Fredericksburg High School have felt the same pain you have. Know that this band is a word of encouragement. REGGIE MAY BE GONE BUT KNOW THAT HIS MEMORY WILL LIVE ON FOREVER! ☺ Abby.”

This was just one of thousands of messages that students from kindergarten to high school wrote and shared with a hurting school and community.

Thank you to those who took the time to call, email, pray or send paper chain links or posters to show your support. Words cannot express our gratitude for your support in this time here at West Orange-Stark High School. You have made a difference here and been a part of our healing process.

(Meri Elen Jacobs is the Yearbook/Newspaper Advisor at West Orange-Stark High School, where she has taught journalism classes and English for 11 years.)