Funeral Held for 16-Y-O Footballer From Christian School Who Died Right Before Game; Team Then Rallies to Win 53-0
A funeral was held on Friday for a high school student from Covenant Christian Academy in Houma, La., who died suddenly last week before a scheduled football game that his team went on to win 53-0 in his honor.
"I just told them God wants to see how strong we can be," said Wilfred "PJ" Allridge III, the older brother of 16-year-old Caleb Allridge, who died on Nov. 1. "God is showing us that we can handle anything that life brings. We can overcome this no matter what. He's going to be there with us. God is going to be there to help us move on."
In a short statement on the school's website, students and parents were informed that school had been cancelled on Friday for grades 6-12, and were encouraged to come show their support for the Allridge family at the funeral.
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The CCA football team, despite being shaken by their teammate's passing, went on to beat Ridgewood Prep last Friday in a 53-0 victory, which the older brother of Allridge said was the perfect tribute for Caleb, according to HoumaToday.com.
The teenager died from natural causes, Coroner's Office Chief Investigator Danny Theriot said. He had apparently been recovering from a dislocated knee injury, with the swelling causing an undetected blood clot in his heart and lungs.
"My brother loved football," PJ said. "That was his life."
Blyght Wunstell, the football team's coach, admitted that breaking the news to Caleb's teammates was "the most difficult thing I ever been through as a football coach."
"He wasn't the most popular kid at school. He wasn't the best athlete at school, but he was one student that had a remarkable impact on people. He was a very respectful, polite and outstanding individual. He's going to be sadly missed at this school," Wunstell continued.
"Nobody has been sitting in it yet," added Troy Jackson, a CCA assistant football coach. "For the first couple of days, it has been really quiet. You can tell the kids miss him. They are really somber and taking it all in. It's really tough. We really miss him."
Caleb Allridge is survived by his parents, the Rev. Wilfred and Juanika Allridge; his brother PJ, sister, Canaar Allridge; and grandparents, Charles (Wilma) Williams and Anna Mae Allridge, according to an obituary published in the Tri-Parish Times, which also noted that he was a member of Word of Faith Christian Center.
CCA describes in its mission statement that one of its main goals is to "help every student know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior."
