Marblhead High School football team returns to the field in Owen Coyne’s honor
· Yahoo Sports
Friday night, the Marblehead High School football team played for the first time since losing one of it’s co-captains, Owen Coyne. The senior three-sport athlete passed away unexpectedly last week due to complications from a brain hemorrhage.
“We’re all so proud of the boys,” Emily Roland, a mother of a Marblehead High School football player, said.
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“It’s an important night and we’ve been through a lot... Owen was such an incredible kid,” Roland said.
Marblehead canceled its game against Danvers last Saturday, but returned to the field Friday night to play against St. Mary’s in Lynn.
“They were ready to play for Owen. It’s been a long couple weeks for them,” Jocelyn Brown, a mother of a Marblehead High School football player, said.
Students, parents, and fans alike could be seen on either side of the field wearing mostly black and red colors to show their support.
“We’re all family at the end of the day, and in the MIAA community,” Joey Mongiello, a St. Mary’s Lynn student, said.
Many sitting in the St. Mary’s student section also could be seen wearing special shirts that read, “4OWEN18.” Their football team also wore stickers on their helmets with an 18 on them, and their cheerleading and dance teams wore red bows with an 18 on them.
“This has become kind of a rallying point for high school football in Massachusetts,” Jeff Newhall, Athletic Director for St. Mary’s Lynn, said.
Newhall said right now the support is what matters.
“We all feel for what Marblehead’s going through. If in any way it helps keep his memory alive, we’re certainly really happy about that,” Newhall said.
The effort doesn’t go unnoticed.
“First class. It’s incredible, the outreach from all the surrounding communities has been absolutely unimaginable honestly... A rivalry is one thing on the field that’s a special thing but then off the field to see them come together in times of need and when they know the boys need it most means a lot,”
Over the past week, the St. Mary’s Lynn community also raised $13,500 to donate to the scholarship fund created in Owen’s honor.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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