Death of students puts into perspective what is important

Football is an important game to practically everyone in the Tri-parish area.

But we, as a community, were reminded this past weekend just how miniscule the game is in the bigger picture – the game of life.

Vandebilt senior quarterback T.J. Cantrelle was killed this weekend in a tragic automobile accident that took the lives of the Terriers’ athlete, as well as the lives of three other teenagers, Megan Hitt, Ian Haydel and Gabrielle Hebert.

The group was reportedly on their way home from the LSU game early Sunday morning when Cantrelle, the driver, lost control of his vehicle and crashed on Highway 182.

As I read the news of this tragic incident, my heart sunk into my toes, and I truly realized how short life is, and how we need to cherish every moment we’re given from up above.

Just this past Friday, I watched Cantrelle when he was in his element – playing quarterback for the Vandebilt Terriers.

I watched as the quarterback juked and jived his way past Tarpon defenders, taking Vandebilt into the end zone again and again en route to a big win.

I won’t claim to be a close friend of Cantrelle, because I only encountered him a handful of times during this football season.

But even with that said, I’d like to share a few stories I’ve accumulated to let people know the type of young man T.J. was.

As anyone around the Vandebilt community knows, Cantrelle was a phenomenal athlete who loved to play sports – any sport. And he loved to compete.

Cantrelle injured himself a few weeks prior to the season opener. Not in practice, not on the football field, but rather, playing kickball in PE class. Yes, he was that competitive.

Doctors at the time said Cantrelle would miss a significant portion of the non-district season.

But that diagnosis wasn’t good enough for the quarterback.

He wanted to play the season opener.

He wanted to beat rival E.D. White.

He did, overcoming physical pain to lift his teammates past Vandebilt’s rivals and to get his senior season off on the right foot.

Just one week later, I visited the Terriers for a practice. I was scheduled to interview the team’s kicker for a how-to feature about how to kick a field goal.

I arrived on the practice field and met with the kicker without a hitch, thanks to the always cordial Terrier coaching staff who went out of its way to take care of what I needed.

But on the way back to my vehicle, I did encounter something that was out of the ordinary.

As I walked across Buddy Marcello Stadium and through the Terriers’ practice field, I heard a loud, “Hey man, come see,” from across the grass.

The guy doing the talking was T.J., and what he told me was an exhibit of maturity beyond a high school child’s years.

“I just wanted to thank you for coming,” Cantrelle said from the sideline as he waited for his turn on the field.

“He doesn’t get as much attention as he should.”

I shook his hand and promptly told him thanks, and came away knowing the Terriers were in good hands with a leader like that calling the shots.

So that’s the kind of person Cantrelle was – selfless, a fearless leader and a motivated young man who loved his teammates.

To the rest of the families of the rest of the students in the vehicle on that tragic night, I was not fortunate enough to come across your relative’s presence.

I do not know anything of the other people in the vehicle with Cantrelle except that they were Vandebilt students and apparently were in attendance of Saturday’s LSU game.

But I do know one thing – you are all in my thoughts and prayers.

As with any widely-covered news event, the attention will eventually wane and the spotlight will eventually move and shine someone else.

But to everyone – the Vandebilt community and to all the friends and families of everyone involved in this incident – we’re on your side and we feel your pain.

Football is a miniscule game in the big puzzle we call life.

But through it, I was blessed to meet a fabulous young man, and if his friends were the same, they were surely fabulous people, as well.

A young group of kids were taken from us too soon – far too soon.

But I can assure you they will live in our memories and the memories of our community forever.

God Bless the Vandebilt community in your time of need!

Death of students puts into perspective what is important