Prayers for Blackman

[Sommers]

http://www.dnj.com/story/news/local/2015/02/09/blackman-wrestling-coach-like-losing-son/23157043/

 

Blackman wrestling coach: 'It's like losing a son'

 

and Brian Wilson11:27 a.m. CST February 10, 2015

 

 

 

(Photo: Steve Hardison/DNJ correspondent)

 

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MURFREESBORO – The voice on the phone had signs of fatigue.

 

It'd been a whirlwind couple of days for Blackman wrestling coach Ronnie Bray, who found out Sunday morning that one of his wrestlers, Daniel Winters, had died in an early Sunday morning car crash in which a teammate was driving. The call came just hours after seeing eight of his wrestlers advance to the state tournament.

 

"It is just like being a parent," Bray said. "I treat them all as my kids. It's like me losing a son. It's exactly like that.

 

"This has been like being on a rollercoaster, going through the pain. You know, when your guys are good, I'm good. But when they hurt, that just kills me."

 

The wrestling program got back in a wrestling routine on Monday as the team's state qualifiers prepare for the TSSAA's State Wrestling Championships.

 

Winters was among the Blaze wrestlers that qualified for the state meet with a third-place finish at 120 pounds. Michael Brobeck, who was driving the car, also qualified for state at 132 pounds as a region champion.

 

And Winters' younger brother Hunter Winters qualified for state at 170 pounds.

 

Bray spent most of Sunday morning with Winter's family, before visiting with Brobeck. The Blackman coaching staff then met with the team to talk about the incident, and help console the team.

 

"We wanted to let the grieving process start," Bray said. "We wanted them to make sure we're there for each other. With his little brother on the team, we wanted to make sure we all hugged him up and gave him our support.

 

"He was well-liked and a well-loved kid on our wrestling team. The wrestling team is like a brotherhood. When you lose a brother like this — and his little brother is on the team — It affects the whole wrestling team."

 

The team will have to continue to practice for the state championships as the Tennessee Highway Patrol continues its investigation into the Sunday morning crash.

 

Criminal charges remain pending against Brobeck, said THP spokesman Lt. Bill Miller. Troopers are working with the 16th District Attorney General's office in Murfreesboro as an investigation that could take weeks continues, he said.

 

Winters' mother Tara Harrison Vernon asked for prayers for her family in a Facebook post on Sunday, but could not be reached for additional comment on Monday.

 

The family has asked for privacy as they mourn their son, said Evette VanDerworp, a family friend and mother of a former Blackman High School wrestler. She helped organize a gofundme account to help pay for funeral and medical expenses.

 

She asked for prayers for theirs and Brobeck's families in the days following the wreck.

 

Van Derworp remembered the high school junior for his sense of humor off the wrestling mat and his talent as an athlete.

 

"I had no doubt he would do great at state," she said. "We're going to try to carry on and do this to remember him."

 

His classmates wrote hundreds of notes to Winters' family and raised hundreds of dollars to help with funeral cost, said Blackman High School principal Leisa Justus in a statement.

 

"Students today have been quietly processing the news of Daniel Winters' death - and in the spirit of Blackman, they wanted to help in some way," she said.

 

Additional counselors were in place throughout the day for students needing support after the incident, Justus said. Teachers also held an open discussion about what happened at the start of each class.

 

"Today I witnessed students helping students; teachers helping students; teachers helping teachers; and students helping teachers," Justus said. "The atmosphere of love and concern was quiet but powerful. All of our thoughts and prayers are with the families impacted by this tragedy."

 

The wrestling community has also shown their support for Winters and the Blackman wrestling program. Bray said he's heard from programs as far east as McCallie in Chattanooga and as far west as Memphis. Locally, the county program's have also shown their support in a variety of ways. Some have sent condolences on social media. Others have made phone calls. And some have contributed to the gofundme account, where more than $25,000 was raised by Monday afternoon.

 

"We are so, so grateful," said Van Derworp, the page's organizer. "The amount of outpouring and love — we had no idea at how it would turn out.

 

"There's no way we can do enough for this family. But the financial burden that comes with this is something that no one should have to bear."

 

Several of the donors were wrestling programs, coaches or families of wrestlers.

 

"That's been incredible," Bray said. "It's been an overwhelming support of people contributing. It's been the whole state. They are taking care of someone we lost."

 

Visitation for Winters has been set for Tuesday between 4 and 8 p.m. at the Murfreesboro Funeral Home. His funeral is scheduled for Wednesday at 1 p.m., with a burial in Nolensville to follow.

 

Contact Tom Kreager at 615-278-5168 or tkreager@dnj.com. Contact Brian Wilson at 615-278-5165 or bwilson@dnj.com.

[Sommers]

Tennessean Picks up story from satellite paper...

 

http://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/high-school/2015/02/10/grieving-starts-blackman-wrestlers-death/23198117/

 

Grieving starts at Blackman after wrestler’s death

 

Tom Kreager and, Gannett Tennessee6:19 p.m. CST February 10, 2015

 

(Photo: Steve Hardison / Gannett Tennessee)

Edited February 11, 2015 by Sommers