Opinion: Texas high school QB lost his parents to COVID-19. He finds strength with football family.
PFLUGERVILLE, Texas -- Jaylon Reeves could almost feel their presence.
The Pflugerville, Texas, senior quarterback lost his parents, Jason and Chrisla Reeves, to COVID-19 in February. After leading his Panthers to a 33-14 victory over Laredo United last week, Jaylon's teammates gathered around him as they walked toward the school bus for the 90-minute drive home.
Jaylon is their brother. The Panthers are his family.
Football creates strong bonds, and no one feels that strength more than Reeves. His parents died four days apart. Jason was 47 years old, Chrisla 48. They were married 23 years.
"This was my first game without them in the bleachers," Reeves said softly from coach Charles Taylor's darkened office Tuesday morning.
Reeves has picked himself up with a football in hand. Life can be difficult for the 17-year-old. His Aunt Beverly moved into the Reeves' home to help care for him.
Jaylon said he tackles "why-me?" moments every day.
"My coaches helped me a lot," he said. "They're like family. And with my sister (Kyra) and God in mind, I stay active. It got so bad at one point that I couldn't think straight. I didn't want to go to school or play football. I felt like quitting. But I still felt my parents wanted me to do better."
Jaylon said he speaks to Kyra daily. She earned a scholarship to play soccer at the University of Missouri. The Missouri athletic department raised more than $27,000 for the Reeves family with a GoFundMe page.
Life was not fair to the Reeves family. Jaylon's parents tested positive for the coronavirus in January and died a month later. Jaylon also tested positive but recovered quickly. COVID-19 vaccines weren't widespread in February, and Jaylon has since received both shots. Both parents had underlying health concerns, Jaylon said, but nothing could have prepared him for this.
That's when teammate Elijah Oakman stepped in. Friends since kindergarten, Oakman calls, texts or sees Reeves daily. "I've got his back," the Panthers running back/linebacker said.
"I was always the first person to talk to him every day," said Oakman, who also tested positive for COVID-19 in 2020. "We'd talk on the phone for hours. Most of the day I'd ask him if he needed anything. He'd let me know and I told him my family and I will be there for him. When the news came out, we never thought it would happen. It was kind of a shocker."
Taylor said Reeves is a natural leader who has been a big part of the team since he was a sophomore. His best game, though, came in the victory over United. He passed for 182 yards, rushed for 86 yards, combined for four touchdowns and earned an American-Statesman game ball for his effort.
Reeves likely learned to become a leader by watching his dad. Jason Reeves played linebacker for the University of Texas in the 1990s. As Jaylon said, "My dad taught me everything I know."
Jason met Chrisla while he played for the Longhorns and she was a student at Texas State.
"It’s pretty remarkable how this young man has handled this," Taylor said. "He had some great parents and it's evident that they raised a special young man. They would be so proud of him, but I know they expected nothing less."
The next step for Reeves and the Panthers is to win some games. Last year they went 6-4 and were beaten 20-17 by New Braunfels Canyon in the first round of the playoffs. Fueled by that loss — and with 12 returning starters — the quarterback said there is no reason they can't make a deep playoff run this year.
In this year of tragedy, though, Reeves said he has grown up. Nothing will bring his parents back, although he said he "feels them" whenever he straps on his helmet. Reflecting on the past six months, he has reason to feel proud, and it has nothing to do with football.
"I'm proud I stayed in school," he said. "There were multiple times I felt like dropping out, quitting everything. I now feel pride in myself for moving on and bettering myself in school and in football. And developing character."