ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Northeast High School hosted a special ceremony honoring their former football captain, Jacquez Welch, who passed away last month.
The ceremony happened at 7:15 p.m. Friday, right before their homecoming football game. It included a singing tribute, bagpipes and students walking his No. 4 jersey out to the field where his family stood.
“He was football captain, so kind and had a good GPA. He was 100 percent going places,” student Aiden Azoon said.
Welch collapsed on the football field on Sept. 20, 2019, and never recovered. He was taken off life-support and died days later.
Welch fell to the ground from a pre-existing condition, known as arteriovenous malformation, or AVM. It is a tangle of abnormal blood vessels that connect arteries and veins to the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“His passing has definitely brought the Viking high school family closer, not just a few people were affected by it, everyone was. You knew him even if it was through a class, seeing him in the hall or just hearing his name,” student Sonali Khara said.
Northeast High School announced a scholarship fund in Welch’s name that will be awarded to someone who exhibited similar traits of honor, strength, love and kindness. They also printed out shirts with a quote on it in honor of Welch.
It says: “You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.”
They concluded the special ceremony by giving Welch’s family roses, hugs and saying, “Rest In Peace Jacquez, you will never be forgotten.”
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