Team Rants

Joseph Wayne “Joey” Fonseca was a varsity baseball pitcher at Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

He was killed in an automobile accident early Sunday morning when the car he was in left the road and struck a tree. The 16 year old driver of the car has not been identified, but police believe that he was under the influence of alcohol and have charged him with DUI and involuntary manslaughter.

Joey Fonseca was just 16 years old.

Laura Vogel used to be the girls soccer coach at Mayfield High School in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

As a free spirited “dream chaser” she had recently moved to Hawaii to work as a tutor.

Vogel’s van was found February 21st  with the keys in the ignition and a door open near a homeless encampment. Parts of her cell phone have been found, indicating it may have been destroyed by someone that didn’t want her location traced.

Unfortunately, the Hawaii police have discontinued the search for Vogel, which means her disappearance may never be solved.

Laura Vogel is 43 years old.

DeAndre Elliott was a star running back at Worthing High School in Houston Texas.

He was murdered in November of last year so that some thug could take his 1992 Buick Park Avenue.  The thugs name is Quentin Leon McIntyre.  The 19 year old is charged with capital murder in the shooting death of DeAndre Elliott.

Elliott was one of the good guys, kept his head down, stayed out of trouble and busted his ass to make a better life for himself. 

No surpirise, but this thug McIntyre was already in jail on other charges.  DeAndre Elliott was only 17 years old.

Mike Messier was a football and softball coach at Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School in Rhode Island.

He was killed in an automoblie accident when his vehicle left the road and slammed into trees.  The road conditions were bad with heavy rains and it was a dark stretch of road.  Messier was also not wearing his seat belt.

The accident happened after Messier had worked late at his second job as an electrician. He was a husband and father of two.

Mike Messier was 55 years old.

Nadia Brianne Matthews was a star softball pitcher at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California.

She died yesterday of causes unknown. An autopsy will be performed Friday to try and determine the cause of death.

Matthews was one of the top pitching prospects in the state of California. As a sophomore she was already on every colleges’ recruiting radar, and she had already verbally committed to the University of Arizona.

Nadia Brianne Matthews was just 16 years old.

UPDATE 2/26/10 – The coroner has ruled the manner of death suicide, “by ligature hanging.”

Scott Owens was the girls basketball and softball coach at Joaquin High School in Texas.

He was killed in an automobile accident shortly after 1:00 am when his vehicle crossed the center line and struck another car head on. The three passengers in the other car have serious injuries, with two of them being listed as critical.

Alcohol is not believed to be involved in the accident.

School District Superintendent Phil Worsham said of Coach Owens “He loved the kids. He wanted everybody to be successful”

Scott Owens had been at Joaquin for six years and will certainly be missed by all.

Ryan Myers is the head coach of a very successful girls basketball team at Barrow High School in Alaska.

This is the guy you want coaching all of your kids if character matters because he stands for something and he doesn’t mind sacrificing the season to teach his players a lesson in life that they will use long after high school is over.

Myers found out that his 5 starters had been drinking on a road trip, and then they lied about it when confronted.  Rather than take the typical approach of “addressing it at the end of the season” or “continuing to investigate” as so many cowardly coaches do when they already know the truth, coach Myers suspended all five of them for the rest of the season.

It is important to remember here that the Barrow High team was a favorite to win the state tournament and take home the ultimate title for high school athletes.  Barrow still has a very slim chance to compete in the post season, but winning it all is now extremely unlikely.

Coach Myers said of the players  “They are done for the season,”. “The point of athletics is to teach and promote qualities such as character, leadership, responsibility and teamwork, and when kids make mistakes the only responsible thing is to teach them that there are consequences.”

Ryan Myers is clearly a coach that gets the point of high school athletics…  Bravo coach!

Ryan White was the baseball coach and a teacher at Senatobia High School in Mississippi.

He was killed Monday afternoon when his SUV lost control and flipped over on Interstate 55.  Coach White was ejected from the vehicle, causing severe trauma.  He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Senatobia Principal Robert Downing said of Coach White ….. he was a down-to-earth guy who was a good role model and teacher.  He was looking forward to the start of the baseball season.   He was a hard working man in the classroom, and on the field.

Ryan White was only 27 years old.

Montrell Wade is a star football player at Washburn High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

He was shot in the face early Saturday afternoon as he and a group of friends were playing with a loaded handgun. From what reports have been gathered, the group was playing catch with a loaded weapon when it accidentally discharged, striking Wade in the head.

Wade had surgery Saturday night and his condition has not changed. It is believed that the bullet did not penetrate his brain, but the long term prognosis is still very doubtful.

Several people were arrested at the time, and police are still gathering the facts of the case.

Montrell Wade is only 16 years old.

Bennie Abram was an outstanding football player who graduated from Desoto Central High School in Southaven, Mississippi just a few years ago.

He died shortly after he collapsed during a workout at Ole Miss. He was a walk on at Ole Miss, and he certainly knew that he had struggles ahead, but he fought hard and never quit.

Houston Nutt was Abrams’ coach at Ole Miss and he said of the player “Bennie was a fine young man and a hard worker. He was a great person to be around and a well-mannered young man. His loss is so tragic. Our hearts and prayers go out to the family and all who knew Bennie,”

Bennie Abram was just 20 years old.