‘He Would Want Us To Go To States’: Death Of Teammate Driving Mervo Ahead Of Football Championship

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Dundalk High School and Mervo High School volition vie against each different successful the 4A/3A State Championship Football crippled Thursday.

It’s Mervo High School’s archetypal clip successful the championship, and it is simply a mode for the squad to grant a squad subordinate who passed distant this season.

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“We’re making past and we’re doing it for a bigger purpose,” Mervo High School shot mediate linebacker and squad skipper Sterling Thomas said. “More than conscionable football.”

This play is dissimilar immoderate different for the team.

“It took a batch of hard enactment and perseverance,” Thomas said. “We went done a batch this year.”

They volition beryllium doing it without 1 of their teammates, Elijah Gorham. He suffered a traumatic encephalon wounded during a crippled successful September. He passed distant the pursuing month.

“Through adversity, oftentimes, radical travel closer,” Mervo High School Athletic Director Patrick Nixon said. “I deliberation we’ve travel a batch person due to the fact that of the nonaccomplishment of Elijah.”

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His squad said nary 1 loved shot much than him.

“He was a large contribution, cardinal to the team,” Thomas said. “Whenever we needed a large play, archetypal down, touchdown, we knew precisely wherever to spell to, fig 7. He was conscionable that guy.”

His teammates and his manager channeled their grief into football.

“He would privation america to spell to states,” Mervo High School shot squad violative lineman Jamal Baldwin. “He would privation to beryllium present with us. We would privation him to beryllium present with us, truthful we got to get this for him.”

They said each clip they play, Elijah is with them, and that helium volition beryllium close determination with them astatine the championship.

“We made it each this mode for you and we ain’t gonna halt until we win,” Thomas said.

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The crippled betwixt Mervo High School and Dundalk High School is Thursday nighttime astatine 7 p.m. astatine the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium successful Annapolis.

Jessica Albert