SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. — The unthinkable has become reality for the Combs High School community as they mourn the loss of Preston Lord.
Lord, 16, was a star student who played golf and basketball. He was killed outside of a Halloween party in Queen Creek on October 28.
“Right now, I get my strength to make sure that my boys are stay maintaining sanity and mental health and enjoying their life at this point, said Hosea Graham, the Combs High School basketball coach. "I hurt for them. I hurt for them every day.”
'We're doing it for Preston.'
Graham never thought he would be coaching at Combs High School. He lives in Tempe and the drive to San Tan Valley isn't short.
But something told him to take the job.
“I thought about it, prayed about it. And I tell you what, it was like something that came over and said, 'Yeah, you should go out there and do that'" Graham said.
Now, he said he knows he was meant to be there to help his community through the pain.
He said he and his team were in the hospital as Lord fought for his life for two days following the assault.
"He was a special type of personality and character. He had a certain type of energy that he infused in everybody around him, and it's gone," Graham said.
Lord's teammates and close friends didn't know what to do after his passing, so they came together.
“When we first got the news about Preston, we just went over to Jaxon's house and just hang out and just be around each other. You know, just knowing that there's other people going through the same thing as you is really helpful," said Kamren Dubose, a senior on the Combs basketball team.
Lord had recently celebrated his 16th birthday.
“He was really caring. He was always caring to me. He was always trying to just have a good time, trying to crack jokes whenever he can," said Jaimin Amador, a sophomore on the team.
The teammates have found strength in each other.
“It's really impacting us on the court. And no matter what happens when we go out there, we know that we still have that brotherhood, and win or lose, we're doing it together and we're doing it for Preston," said Logan Tuckfield, a junior Combs basketball player.
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The team has found ways to honor Lord as their basketball season continues. They have hung his poster in their gym. Some write messages in honor of Lord on their shoes.
And before every game, they place Lord's jersey on a chair.
“Before every game, I try to go and sit by the jersey and and say a of couple words. Just remember him," said Jaxon Jones, a junior on the team.
As for Graham, he says he hasn't fully processed the tragedy himself. He's focused on supporting his players and ensuring they deal with this grief in a healthy way.
"Being kind is not a weakness. It's an actual strength, and to serve is better than be served. And to care for someone is okay," Graham said.
He said his consistent message to his team on difficult days is instead of focusing on the "why", focus on "what's next."
“I give everything I have to making sure that they're safe and that they're healthy. And I'm happy about it. I'm willing and ready to do it," Graham said. "I'm proud of them. I'm so proud of them. We’re a family. Those are my kids.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to assist the Lord family during this difficult time. You can find the link to donate here.