Trojans Hope To Honor Scarberry's Memory With Sectional Title
October 30, 2018 at 3:13 p.m.
Trojans Hope To Honor Scarberry's Memory With Sectional Title
By Aaron [email protected]
In his memory, the Triton Trojans will aim to return the favor Friday, one play at a time.
Scarberry was a 16-year-old junior on Triton’s football team when he died in an automobile accident in September of 2017.
His death rocked the Triton football program, but lit a fire under his teammates to win this week’s sectional championship against North Judson in his honor.
“I (couldn’t) care less about the trophy,” said Triton coach Ron Brown. “I want to be able to achieve this last goal, and feel like we’ve done something to honor him.”
Scarberry long had objectives that Triton is just 48 minutes of game time from achieving. He filled out a goal sheet at the end of his sophomore season that stated he wanted the Trojans to go 6-3 in the regular season and win a sectional title by his senior year.
“He wanted that championship so bad,” said Triton senior lineman Billy Smith.
Scarberry was a motivator in life like he’s been in memory. He started as a left guard and linebacker, and also played on special teams.
“He was that positive attitude on the team,” Brown said.
He was known off the field as a friend to everyone, especially in times of need.
Triton senior lineman Aaron Stichter recalls that he and Scarberry worked together at a local gas station across from Scarberry’s house.
One night when Stichter was working, Scarberry saw flashing police lights at the gas station. He called to make sure his friend was OK.
Stichter was fine, but Scarberry’s concern was still meaningful to him.
“The fact that he called me, it really stuck out to me,” Stichter said. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.”
Triton sophomore lineman Caleb Lemler recalls how Scarberry was “always there,” whether it was to hang out or to help his family move.
The latter was done despite an intense fear of spiders.
“He was helping us move furniture for my brother, and a big spider was there,” Lemler said. “He saw it, screamed and jumped, and almost hit his head on the ceiling.”
Lemler, who considered Scarberry his brother, would often laugh with him about that memory.
The laughter stopped on Sept. 17, 2017.
That Sunday morning, Scarberry went to breakfast with several teammates, including now-senior running back Delano Shumpert.
Scarberry was his usual lively self, and was eating quite a bit of food.
“He was a great person to be around,” Shumpert said. “(He) always made you feel good, always had a nice thing to say.”
Later that day, Scarberry was driving a 1994 GMC Jimmy. His brother, Jared, was along for the ride.
Scarberry was heading east on a dirt road when he began to veer off the roadway. He overcorrected and the SUV rolled over into a field, according to a report from the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department.
His brother survived, but Scarberry died at the scene.
Lemler fell over when he got the news. He kept asking, “why?”
“He was just a great kid,” Lemler said. “How does this happen?”
Snyder was driving when he was told what had happened. He pulled over and broke into tears.
Senior lineman Shelden Rolston was in shock. Senior running back Ethan Berry remembers feeling like his heart had dropped into his stomach.
Shumpert couldn’t believe the news.
“I just kept denying it,” Shumpert said. “To this day, I still deny it. I can’t believe that (he’s gone).”
But, he was gone, and friends, family, and his football team were left to grieve in his wake.
None of the players had football on their minds, but they knew Scarberry would have wanted them to play on.
“(We’d) remember who we’re doing this for,” Rolston said.
Triton’s coaches were in pain, but set aside their hurt to be there for their players.
“”We just did what was best for the kids individually,” Brown said. “Person to person, we put football on the back burner.”
The Trojans had to face Pioneer that week, and they voted to forego playing on Friday in favor of attending Scarberry’s viewing that evening.
Pioneer allowed the game to be moved up one day, and after a short week of practice, the Trojans faced the Panthers.
It wasn’t easy for the Trojans to play with heavy hearts, but they had the support of several communities which showed up to watch them play.
“It was really cool to see how different football teams, they come around you when you’re in need,” Brown said.
The Trojans lost to Pioneer, but won four of their next five games. That included three games at home, playing on the field with a “54”-yard line.
Brown had the idea to put Scarberry’s jersey number, 54, on the middle of the field in place of “50.”
“I wanted to do something, but something that was tasteful and subtle,” Brown said. “We thought that would be the best way to be able to honor him.”
The Trojans also created the Cameron Scarberry Fortitude Award, of which Drew Stichter was the 2017 recipient.
They almost reached one of Scarberry’s goals last season, but lost 10-7 to LaVille in the sectional title game.
After the season, the coaches were finally able to grieve the loss of Scarberry.
“It finally hit, what happened, and who you’re missing,” Brown said. “It’s such a weird feeling when it happens to a kid who’s still supposed to be in school. You expect to see him.”
Yet, the Trojans aimed to turn the tragedy into triumph.
Not only were Triton’s current players fueled by a desire to achieve Scarberry’s goals, but new players wanted in on the pursuit.
There were multiple athletes who joined the team to honor Scarberry.
One such player was senior Jarrett Gard, who was attracted to the tight-knit atmosphere Scarberry helped cultivate.
“I’ve always loved the game, and I saw the football team was built around family,” he said.
The Trojans knew what they were playing for: a 6-3 regular-season record and a sectional championship. While they didn’t talk about their goals much, they were constantly aware of them.
The LaVille loss also loomed in their minds.
“We went out there and gave it our all (against LaVille), and just came up short,” Berry said. “Coming into this year, (the mindset was) we gotta do what we gotta do.”
Triton began this season with a victory over South Central before being shut out by LaVille in Week 2.
The Trojans then picked up wins over Caston and Culver, while falling to Class 2A Bremen and Class 1A defending-state-champion Pioneer.
At 3-3, they had to win out if they wanted to check off Scarberry’s goal sheet.
“We knew we were behind,” Smith said.
In a move that has become their calling card, the Trojans responded valiantly to adversity.
They pulled off a thrilling, 37-29 win over North Judson, edged Class 3A Knox 14-12, and won 36-20 over Winamac to reach 6-3.
“It felt pretty good, but we’re not quite there yet and this next (goal) is something we’re really focusing on,” Brown said.
The Trojans opened the sectional with a 34-12 win against Culver before rolling to a 48-18 win over Winamac.
Now, they face a North Judson team in Friday’s sectional final that has size and strength in the trenches. The Bluejays are 6-5, and are coming off a 42-25 win over South Central.
“It’s gonna be an intense game all the way through,” Brown said.
The game is at 7:30 p.m. at North Judson High School. If the Trojans win, they’ll earn sectional hardware for the first time since 2008.
More than a title or trophy, though, Scarberry is on the Trojans’ minds as they practice this week.
“This is the culmination, this week,” Aaron Stichter said. “It has to happen.”
Smith knows just how enthusiastic Scarberry would be if he could be there Friday night.
“I know for a fact that he’d be the most excited person on the team if we won that championship,” Smith said.
Scarberry won’t be on the field.
He can’t be.
And yet, he will be there in the heart of every Trojan.
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In his memory, the Triton Trojans will aim to return the favor Friday, one play at a time.
Scarberry was a 16-year-old junior on Triton’s football team when he died in an automobile accident in September of 2017.
His death rocked the Triton football program, but lit a fire under his teammates to win this week’s sectional championship against North Judson in his honor.
“I (couldn’t) care less about the trophy,” said Triton coach Ron Brown. “I want to be able to achieve this last goal, and feel like we’ve done something to honor him.”
Scarberry long had objectives that Triton is just 48 minutes of game time from achieving. He filled out a goal sheet at the end of his sophomore season that stated he wanted the Trojans to go 6-3 in the regular season and win a sectional title by his senior year.
“He wanted that championship so bad,” said Triton senior lineman Billy Smith.
Scarberry was a motivator in life like he’s been in memory. He started as a left guard and linebacker, and also played on special teams.
“He was that positive attitude on the team,” Brown said.
He was known off the field as a friend to everyone, especially in times of need.
Triton senior lineman Aaron Stichter recalls that he and Scarberry worked together at a local gas station across from Scarberry’s house.
One night when Stichter was working, Scarberry saw flashing police lights at the gas station. He called to make sure his friend was OK.
Stichter was fine, but Scarberry’s concern was still meaningful to him.
“The fact that he called me, it really stuck out to me,” Stichter said. “I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.”
Triton sophomore lineman Caleb Lemler recalls how Scarberry was “always there,” whether it was to hang out or to help his family move.
The latter was done despite an intense fear of spiders.
“He was helping us move furniture for my brother, and a big spider was there,” Lemler said. “He saw it, screamed and jumped, and almost hit his head on the ceiling.”
Lemler, who considered Scarberry his brother, would often laugh with him about that memory.
The laughter stopped on Sept. 17, 2017.
That Sunday morning, Scarberry went to breakfast with several teammates, including now-senior running back Delano Shumpert.
Scarberry was his usual lively self, and was eating quite a bit of food.
“He was a great person to be around,” Shumpert said. “(He) always made you feel good, always had a nice thing to say.”
Later that day, Scarberry was driving a 1994 GMC Jimmy. His brother, Jared, was along for the ride.
Scarberry was heading east on a dirt road when he began to veer off the roadway. He overcorrected and the SUV rolled over into a field, according to a report from the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department.
His brother survived, but Scarberry died at the scene.
Lemler fell over when he got the news. He kept asking, “why?”
“He was just a great kid,” Lemler said. “How does this happen?”
Snyder was driving when he was told what had happened. He pulled over and broke into tears.
Senior lineman Shelden Rolston was in shock. Senior running back Ethan Berry remembers feeling like his heart had dropped into his stomach.
Shumpert couldn’t believe the news.
“I just kept denying it,” Shumpert said. “To this day, I still deny it. I can’t believe that (he’s gone).”
But, he was gone, and friends, family, and his football team were left to grieve in his wake.
None of the players had football on their minds, but they knew Scarberry would have wanted them to play on.
“(We’d) remember who we’re doing this for,” Rolston said.
Triton’s coaches were in pain, but set aside their hurt to be there for their players.
“”We just did what was best for the kids individually,” Brown said. “Person to person, we put football on the back burner.”
The Trojans had to face Pioneer that week, and they voted to forego playing on Friday in favor of attending Scarberry’s viewing that evening.
Pioneer allowed the game to be moved up one day, and after a short week of practice, the Trojans faced the Panthers.
It wasn’t easy for the Trojans to play with heavy hearts, but they had the support of several communities which showed up to watch them play.
“It was really cool to see how different football teams, they come around you when you’re in need,” Brown said.
The Trojans lost to Pioneer, but won four of their next five games. That included three games at home, playing on the field with a “54”-yard line.
Brown had the idea to put Scarberry’s jersey number, 54, on the middle of the field in place of “50.”
“I wanted to do something, but something that was tasteful and subtle,” Brown said. “We thought that would be the best way to be able to honor him.”
The Trojans also created the Cameron Scarberry Fortitude Award, of which Drew Stichter was the 2017 recipient.
They almost reached one of Scarberry’s goals last season, but lost 10-7 to LaVille in the sectional title game.
After the season, the coaches were finally able to grieve the loss of Scarberry.
“It finally hit, what happened, and who you’re missing,” Brown said. “It’s such a weird feeling when it happens to a kid who’s still supposed to be in school. You expect to see him.”
Yet, the Trojans aimed to turn the tragedy into triumph.
Not only were Triton’s current players fueled by a desire to achieve Scarberry’s goals, but new players wanted in on the pursuit.
There were multiple athletes who joined the team to honor Scarberry.
One such player was senior Jarrett Gard, who was attracted to the tight-knit atmosphere Scarberry helped cultivate.
“I’ve always loved the game, and I saw the football team was built around family,” he said.
The Trojans knew what they were playing for: a 6-3 regular-season record and a sectional championship. While they didn’t talk about their goals much, they were constantly aware of them.
The LaVille loss also loomed in their minds.
“We went out there and gave it our all (against LaVille), and just came up short,” Berry said. “Coming into this year, (the mindset was) we gotta do what we gotta do.”
Triton began this season with a victory over South Central before being shut out by LaVille in Week 2.
The Trojans then picked up wins over Caston and Culver, while falling to Class 2A Bremen and Class 1A defending-state-champion Pioneer.
At 3-3, they had to win out if they wanted to check off Scarberry’s goal sheet.
“We knew we were behind,” Smith said.
In a move that has become their calling card, the Trojans responded valiantly to adversity.
They pulled off a thrilling, 37-29 win over North Judson, edged Class 3A Knox 14-12, and won 36-20 over Winamac to reach 6-3.
“It felt pretty good, but we’re not quite there yet and this next (goal) is something we’re really focusing on,” Brown said.
The Trojans opened the sectional with a 34-12 win against Culver before rolling to a 48-18 win over Winamac.
Now, they face a North Judson team in Friday’s sectional final that has size and strength in the trenches. The Bluejays are 6-5, and are coming off a 42-25 win over South Central.
“It’s gonna be an intense game all the way through,” Brown said.
The game is at 7:30 p.m. at North Judson High School. If the Trojans win, they’ll earn sectional hardware for the first time since 2008.
More than a title or trophy, though, Scarberry is on the Trojans’ minds as they practice this week.
“This is the culmination, this week,” Aaron Stichter said. “It has to happen.”
Smith knows just how enthusiastic Scarberry would be if he could be there Friday night.
“I know for a fact that he’d be the most excited person on the team if we won that championship,” Smith said.
Scarberry won’t be on the field.
He can’t be.
And yet, he will be there in the heart of every Trojan.
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