GILBERT, Ariz — There are almost 100 varsity football players on the roster at Perry High School, but the absence of one really sticks out.
“He’s one of our guys, you know,” head coach Preston Jones said after the second straight practice without senior tight end Matt McGrane.
McGrane, the middle child of three, is dealing with the death of his mother in a tragic golf cart accident on Catalina Island in California.
“Right now I can’t even imagine losing a mom, let alone as a teenager,” coach Jones said.
Down the street, Matt’s three best friends are grieving for their buddy. Brock, Dane and TJ can’t stop thinking about what their friend is going through.
“Having one of your best friends call and say his mom passed is just—it doesn’t even seem real,” TJ Sifferman said, recalling his last conversation with Matt.
Quickly, the trio realized there is going to be a significant expense involved on top of the grief this family is already feeling.
“We knew money was going to be a thing,” Dane Bebak said. Bebak runs a student organization called The Perry Hype Squad and decided to leverage the group with a GoFundMe page to raise money for travel and funeral expenses.
“Posted it on Twitter and Snapchat and within an hour has five thousand dollars,” Bebak Saudi
The page raised more than $25,000 in less than a day. Donations and messages started pouring in from all over the state and beyond.
Back in the football locker room, coach Jones is checking the page to in disbelief at the number.
“Shouldn’t surprise me but it always does. And the thing about that is it was a bunch of kids that started that. Students here at Perry and they have big hearts,” coach Jones said.
If you would like to help with a donation, prayer, or even just sharing the fundraiser, follow this link.