Mr. East River.
That is how Falcons soccer coach Tony Piccalo will eternally bear in mind Nick Miner.
“He was the most popular and most visible young man on campus,” Piccalo stated Tuesday afternoon. “Ask any of our players who was the unquestionable leader of the team, and they would say it was him.”
Miner, 18, died tragically early Sunday morning whereas utilizing his F-150 truck to drag one other truck from the shoulder of the highway onto Dallas Boulevard in east Orange County. A 3rd automobile collided with the vehicles, inflicting Miner to be ejected from his automobile and trapped beneath it.
Four of Miner’s teammates have been on the scene because it unfolded.
“Nick was our team leader, our captain, our Mr. East River football,” Piccalo stated. “To me, he’s the epitome of what you want out of a student-athlete.”
East River (3-5, 1-2) hosts Lake Howell (5-3, 1-2) in a Class 3M (Metro) District 2 contest tonight at 7 p.m.
The sport serves as Homecoming for the Falcons. Miner, a state qualifier in boys weightlifting final spring, had beforehand been chosen to the Homecoming court docket.
Lake Howell gamers will put on No. 8 decals on their helmets and the Silverhawks cheer staff will put on pink, silver and white ribbons in Miner’s honor.
“It’s affected a lot of kids when it comes to thinking of their own mortality,” Lake Howell coach Shaun Lorenzano stated.
“[Our kids] were wondering if we were even going to play the game, and they’re feeling compassion and empathy and trying to figure it all out. I’m trying to get them fired up, and I can only imagine what [Piccalo] is trying to do with his kids.”
Lorenzano discovered of Miner’s demise simply hours after his 74-year outdated dad died at a close-by nursing residence Sunday morning.
“Now we’ve got to show a good example to these kids on how to deal with stuff like this,” Lorenzano stated. “There are children who’re going by way of this or have gone by way of this which can be taking a look at me and the way I’m dealing with myself, and I need to be sure that I do good for them.
“Everything you go through is a lesson,” he stated.
Miner, a former East Orange Thunder youth soccer participant, was a three-year starter at East River who handed for two,043 yards and rushed for 1,077 yards with 33 complete touchdowns in 22 video games, based on MaxPreps.
He had deep roots at East River, the place his brothers additionally attended. His dad is a volunteer assistant coach and his mother has been concerned with the booster membership.
Thursday’s sport, which takes place simply 5 days after the accident, is predicted to attract a big crowd of mourners and supporters. The Falcons end their common season at residence subsequent Friday vs. Oak Ridge (1-7).
“There’s no correct way to do this,” Piccalo stated of returning to the sector. “As the head coach, I’m just trying to keep this ship right. I don’t know how we’re going to get through it, but we’re going to get through it.”
A GoFundMe account beneath the identify “Funeral costs for the Miner Family” has raised greater than $54,000 as of late Wednesday morning.
This article initially appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email J.C. Carnahan at [email protected].
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Source: www.bostonherald.com