HOLLAND — In a touching, emotional tribute, just four players from Fennville were announced during pregame introductions Monday night before a Class C boys district tournament basketball game against Lawrence.
And just four players from Fennville walked onto the court for the opening tip in DeVos Fieldhouse at Hope College.
The fifth Fennville player, Wes Leonard, was absent in body but not in spirit. Wes, 16, died Thursday night from cardiac arrest because of dilated cardiomyopathy, or an enlarged heart.
After a dramatic pause, Wes’ replacement, Xavier Grigg, was introduced and walked onto the court.
The crowd erupted in applause, many wiping away tears. It was Fennville’s first game since Wes died.
Fennville started out slow but rolled to a 65-54 victory. The undefeated Blackhawks advance to the district semifinal Wednesday against Bangor at Bloomingdale, although there was discussion that the site could change.
“Wes was a brother to me,” said Xavier, who scored 18 points. “It’s hard to play without him. It felt weird. It wasn’t the same.”
Fennville Superintendent Dirk Weeldreyer said he hoped the game would be “a celebration” and a “step in the healing process.”
And that’s what it was. A celebration of Wes. A celebration of sportsmanship. A chance for an entire west Michigan community to come together and grieve and scream and smile and try to return to normal, if only for a moment.
“Wes would have wanted to win, so I wanted to win,” said Adam Siegel, a Fennville senior who scored a game-high 22 points. “Wes was a big strong guy, so I tried to be big strong guy for him.”
A team decision
Since Wes died, the entire Fennville basketball team has been together almost nonstop, hanging out at coach Ryan Klingler’s house.
“He’s had them for days since this happened,” said DeLonda McGee, whose son DeMarcus McGee is a senior and scored 14 points. “He is feeding them in the mornings. We are invited to go over with them, but it’s a team thing. That team is like 13 brothers. They just came together.”
الرئيسية 
موضوع: Fennville pays tribute to Wes Leonard, wins emotion-packed game 
الثلاثاء مارس 08, 2011 1:11 am
