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| BLACKHAWKS WIN SAC NORTH 20-0 |
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Fennville speechless
By: Al LaShell
By: Al LaShell
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It's extremely difficult for the community to come to grips with the drop in emotion
from watching this group of young men reach their goal of finishing a perfect 20-0,
then watching the collapse of the person that they looked to for everything. Wes
Leonard emotionally touched the lives of everyone that met him. Now he is touching
the lives of the country and beyond.
The excitement at the regular season ending game was a high. The Blackhawks
2010 season came to an end against Bridgman in the Regional finals. One of the
goals for this years team was to avenge that loss. Fennville came into the game
ranked 6th and Bridgman 8th in Class C. It was to be an exciting contest.
The Hawks were down by 11 points at halftime to Bridgman. In the opening
moments of the second half, Wes hit two jump shots and the level of electricity went
up. With each defensive stop and basket the excitement in Morehead Gymnasium
was climbing. Midway through the 4th quarter the Hawks pulled even and then went
ahead. Bridgman rallied and tied the game and then played smart and worked the
clock down to take the last shot for the win. That shot didn't go in and we were on to
overtime. Looking throughout the packed gym crowd, the look of excitement was
high.
The Hawks fans have seen this before. Every time a team with Wes Leonard steps
on the floor, they expect to win. Wes always brought out the best of everyone
around him, on and off the court or field. His leadership was special and he always
respected everyone.
In overtime the Hawks and Bees were tied and Bridgman worked the clock down
and tried but failed to score. The Hawks got the ball back and as most everyone
has seen, Wes drove through the lane for a layup and the lead. Bridgman had one
last chance to tie the score again. This attempt fell short and the dream of a perfect
season was reach by the Hawks.
In the moments after the game, the respect that this team has learned from Coach
Ryan Klingler showed as they shook hands with the players from Bridgman and
didn't celebrate until they were out of view. As the team was working to assemble
for a team picture the lives of a community changed in an instant.
Now it's being said that Wes Leonard died of an enlarged heart. A facebook page
was started to honor the memory of Wes Leonard. The page has gained the
attention of the state, country and now the world. A comment posted on his
facebook page may have said it all that Wes gave his heart to the community.
In observing the life of Wes Leonard I never heard anyone say a negative thing to
say about this young man. Moving to Fennville a few years ago, Wes stood out
because he was a head taller than everyone his age. When you got to know him,
he was always joking, laughing and trying to make everyone laugh as well. He had
a gleam in his eyes and made friends with everyone. He was a joy to be around,
that is why the community is shocked.
On the athletic field, everyone took notice too, Wes stood out. He was gifted! He
was unselfish! He made the big play when the team needed it and made it look easy
even at a young age. He never got mad at his teammates when they made a
mistake.
As a 13 year old freshman, Wes was the first 13 year old in the state to start a
Varsity football game. As a sophomore, Wes took over at quarterback. The
community started to see something special. By a junior, he showed that gift and
his strength in getting the ball to his teammates when it looked impossible. This
past season after suffering an injury, Wes came back and lit up the opponents with
17-19 touchdown passes in 4 games. His TD passes weren't just short passes, they
were bombs of 50 to 70 yard passes.
Soon the entire SAC conference was taking notice of Wes. Most teams did
everything to try to beat him, but they couldn't. In last weeks basketball tournament
sounds of fans from other schools wanted to see the Hawks loose. People want to
see the underdogs defeat the top team. Teams always did their best to defeat a
Wes Leonard team, but they couldn't. He always came through for his teammates.
Stories began coming in as the news circulated. At Gobles, hundreds of students
gathered around a small TV in the athletic office as the report was aired. Not a word
was spoken. Teams have informed me that out of respect, they want to ware black
shirts with an orange 35 on it. Even the Blackhawks arch rival Saugatuck student
athletes wore black out of respect. Orange and Black balloons were seen all over
Saugatuck. At the Girls District Basketball game on Friday in Bangor, black wrist
bands with WL in orange were sold and every player wore one.
In the next few days, weeks and months will not be easy for the friends of Wes
Leonard. His memory will last the test of time for everyone's life he touched. We all
pray for his parents, Gary and Jocelyn and his brother Mitchell. Please show your
respect by giving them the space they need.
Visitation will be on Sunday March 6th from 2:00-4:00pm and 6:00-8:00pm. The
Funeral is in Holland at Christ Memorial Church at 10:30 on Tuesday.
from watching this group of young men reach their goal of finishing a perfect 20-0,
then watching the collapse of the person that they looked to for everything. Wes
Leonard emotionally touched the lives of everyone that met him. Now he is touching
the lives of the country and beyond.
The excitement at the regular season ending game was a high. The Blackhawks
2010 season came to an end against Bridgman in the Regional finals. One of the
goals for this years team was to avenge that loss. Fennville came into the game
ranked 6th and Bridgman 8th in Class C. It was to be an exciting contest.
The Hawks were down by 11 points at halftime to Bridgman. In the opening
moments of the second half, Wes hit two jump shots and the level of electricity went
up. With each defensive stop and basket the excitement in Morehead Gymnasium
was climbing. Midway through the 4th quarter the Hawks pulled even and then went
ahead. Bridgman rallied and tied the game and then played smart and worked the
clock down to take the last shot for the win. That shot didn't go in and we were on to
overtime. Looking throughout the packed gym crowd, the look of excitement was
high.
The Hawks fans have seen this before. Every time a team with Wes Leonard steps
on the floor, they expect to win. Wes always brought out the best of everyone
around him, on and off the court or field. His leadership was special and he always
respected everyone.
In overtime the Hawks and Bees were tied and Bridgman worked the clock down
and tried but failed to score. The Hawks got the ball back and as most everyone
has seen, Wes drove through the lane for a layup and the lead. Bridgman had one
last chance to tie the score again. This attempt fell short and the dream of a perfect
season was reach by the Hawks.
In the moments after the game, the respect that this team has learned from Coach
Ryan Klingler showed as they shook hands with the players from Bridgman and
didn't celebrate until they were out of view. As the team was working to assemble
for a team picture the lives of a community changed in an instant.
Now it's being said that Wes Leonard died of an enlarged heart. A facebook page
was started to honor the memory of Wes Leonard. The page has gained the
attention of the state, country and now the world. A comment posted on his
facebook page may have said it all that Wes gave his heart to the community.
In observing the life of Wes Leonard I never heard anyone say a negative thing to
say about this young man. Moving to Fennville a few years ago, Wes stood out
because he was a head taller than everyone his age. When you got to know him,
he was always joking, laughing and trying to make everyone laugh as well. He had
a gleam in his eyes and made friends with everyone. He was a joy to be around,
that is why the community is shocked.
On the athletic field, everyone took notice too, Wes stood out. He was gifted! He
was unselfish! He made the big play when the team needed it and made it look easy
even at a young age. He never got mad at his teammates when they made a
mistake.
As a 13 year old freshman, Wes was the first 13 year old in the state to start a
Varsity football game. As a sophomore, Wes took over at quarterback. The
community started to see something special. By a junior, he showed that gift and
his strength in getting the ball to his teammates when it looked impossible. This
past season after suffering an injury, Wes came back and lit up the opponents with
17-19 touchdown passes in 4 games. His TD passes weren't just short passes, they
were bombs of 50 to 70 yard passes.
Soon the entire SAC conference was taking notice of Wes. Most teams did
everything to try to beat him, but they couldn't. In last weeks basketball tournament
sounds of fans from other schools wanted to see the Hawks loose. People want to
see the underdogs defeat the top team. Teams always did their best to defeat a
Wes Leonard team, but they couldn't. He always came through for his teammates.
Stories began coming in as the news circulated. At Gobles, hundreds of students
gathered around a small TV in the athletic office as the report was aired. Not a word
was spoken. Teams have informed me that out of respect, they want to ware black
shirts with an orange 35 on it. Even the Blackhawks arch rival Saugatuck student
athletes wore black out of respect. Orange and Black balloons were seen all over
Saugatuck. At the Girls District Basketball game on Friday in Bangor, black wrist
bands with WL in orange were sold and every player wore one.
In the next few days, weeks and months will not be easy for the friends of Wes
Leonard. His memory will last the test of time for everyone's life he touched. We all
pray for his parents, Gary and Jocelyn and his brother Mitchell. Please show your
respect by giving them the space they need.
Visitation will be on Sunday March 6th from 2:00-4:00pm and 6:00-8:00pm. The
Funeral is in Holland at Christ Memorial Church at 10:30 on Tuesday.