Julie West-Schroeder holds a photo of her son, Jake West, as she is surrounded by (back row) Slicer Matt Otwinowski (holding state runner-up trophy), Slicer Assistant Coach Rob Schellinger, former Slicer Head Coach Bob Schellinger, and (to Schroeder’s right) Slicer Noah Boardman. They are pictured at St. Joseph Church, LaPorte. (Bob Wellinski photo; click to enlarge)
EDITOR’S NOTE: Free heart screens are coming up March 26 and 27 for LaPorte high school and middle school students. For information, read the WNLP post on this same page.
Story by Bob Wellinski
(Posted on WNLP with permission from Northwest Indiana Catholic)
Losing can test the faith and character of coaches and players. Members of the LaPorte Slicers football team knew that after enduring back-to-back, 1-9 seasons in 2012-13. But all was put into perspective when they were blindsided by an incomprehensible loss: that of one of their teammates.
Slicer Jake West
On Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013, junior Jake West collapsed and died on the field during practice, the victim of an undetected heart condition.
Jake’s passing pierced the hearts of his fellow players, his coaches, fans and the entire community – all left wondering, “Why?”
Dealing with “Why?”
Julie West-Schroeder, Jake’s mom, still finds it difficult to put the ordeal into words. “It’s hard for us as humans to make sense of God’s plan. Why do you take a 17-year-old, vibrant, happy, healthy young man — why? That’s the human in me. That’s the mother in me. But there’s a reason. A reason I don’t like; I’m not happy. And I told Him (God) that.”
But Julie remains strong in her faith. “God gives you what you need to get through it because I don’t think you can humanly do it on your own,” she said. And she believes God sometimes helps in unexpected ways. One day while cleaning her house, Julie found a tape recorder. She pushed the play button and there was Jake’s voice at age 7 or 8 saying, “I love you, mama.”
“That was a gift,” a tearful Schroeder said. “It’s priceless.”
In his 39 years of coaching, Bob Schellinger, who retired as LPHS head football coach after the 2013-14 season, had to deal with Jake’s death and a few other tragic situations involving players. “There’s no playbook, no course we’ve taken that says how to handle that,” Schellinger said. “You rely on your faith … not only for yourself, but you pray the Lord gives you strength to lead the young people.”
As one of the team’s captains in the 2014 season, senior Noah Boardman knew he was expected to lead by words and actions. Nothing tested those abilities more than when his best friend Jake passed away. Noah relied on the coaches to help him lead the team, and relied on God to help him strengthen them spiritually.
“One cool thing is that all our captains are strong in their faith: Charles Salary, Tyler Littlejohn, Jeremy Curry and me. I (especially) look up to Tyler because how strong he is in his faith. It shows me there’s always room for improvement.” Noah said Tyler approached him about praying together. That blossomed into a pre-game ritual involving the whole team: taking a knee and holding hands to say the Lord’s Prayer.
“I sit and listen to them and think, that’s our young leadership doing that,” Schellinger said. “They see the power of prayer. They see the power of togetherness.”
Noah believes that as our “Head Coach,” God has His own playbook for each of us and that we must trust Him. Even in the wake of Jake’s death, Noah says he never questioned his faith or why it happened. “I realize when people pass they go to Heaven. It’s better up there than it is here.”
Julie West-Schroeder wraps Noah Boardman in a flag displaying her late son’s No. 26 after he gave her Jake’s state finals medal at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, on Nov. 29, 2014. (Click to enlarge)
Standing on the sidelines of LaPorte’s Kiwanis Field and looking east, team member Matt Otwinowski can see a tangible reminder of three of his biggest fans — his dad, grandpa and uncle – who are interred in St. Joseph’s Cemetery across the street. After Matt lost his dad, George, at age 9, Matt reflected on his faith. “We were raised going to church. You don’t think about it much then. But after my dad passed away, I had to grow up more and I think it brought me closer to God. I know God has a plan; it’s not just about the loss and grief at the moment, there’s going to be something more to it. Seeing Jake pass away made us cherish our lives more and to make every second on earth count with each other.”
Julie said Jake shared his teammates’ strength in God. He and Noah were very active in Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), where they came to recognize the importance of faith with their friends. That FCA unity provided comfort after Jake’s death.
“Talking about Jake’s death was a touchy subject at the time, but at FCA they could open up. It was a great outlet,” said Noah, now an FCA co-leader. He wants the group to continue living their faith in Jake’s memory. “That’s the goal and I think Jake would be proud of what we’re doing in his name.”
The “unity” in community
After the initial shock of Jake’s death, a remarkable thing happened. First his team, then the entire school, and then the whole community joined in tribute to Jake. A celebration of his life at Kiwanis Field drew an astounding 3,500 people, a sea of orange and black. More than 100 players from other teams attended. During ensuing games, signs emblazoned with Jake’s number 26 were common and a new
A memorial ceremony at Kiwanis Field shortly after Jake’s death drew some 3,500 people, including many football players from teams throughout the region. (Mike Kellems photo; click to enlarge)
mantra arose: “PLAY FOR JAKE!” A season after his death, an orange hash mark at the Kiwanis 26-yard line serves as a permanent memorial.
In 2014, with Jake’s spirit as their “12th man” on the field, the LaPorte Slicers made it all the way to the state finals. While they lost in the championship game, it was obvious this team knew how to keep things in perspective. After the loss they remained jubilant and clearly thankful to be there. But at one moment there was barely a dry eye in the stadium: After the game Noah accepted not only a state-finals medal for himself, but one for Jake. Proudly carrying a big “26” flag, he trotted to the stands and presented the medal to Julie.
“The moment I looked up and saw Noah walk with Jake’s flag … it’s hard to put words to those feelings. I think about how Noah thought about my feelings. That meant the world to me.”
Jake’s spirit lives on community-wide thanks to a new organization founded by Julie and her family: the Play for Jake Foundation. Within the first month of the foundation’s existence, free heart screenings were made available to middle and high school youths. Heart conditions were detected in a few young people, with more than one requiring surgery.
“God has given me a repurpose, a restoration of what I’m supposed to do with my life,” Julie said. “I’m comforted knowing the foundation has already detected heart defects, potentially saving other families from feeling the grief I’ve gone through. I know Jake’s up there saying, ‘Come on, Mom, you can do it.’”
Julie and her husband plan to sell their home and buy a building in downtown LaPorte. The Play for Jake Foundation will occupy the main floor while the couple will live upstairs.
One young man’s death has resulted in the saving of lives and a new spirit of love and support in the community. All with three common threads Jake and his teammates tied together: faith, family and football.
FOR MORE INFORMATION on the Play for Jake Foundation and to contribute, visit http://playforjake.org.