Jacquez Welch, Northeast football player, removed from the game

ST. PETERSBURG – For years, football has dominated the life of Jacquez Welch, his performance determining his disposition.

The linebacker / senior lineman had a schedule, a plan, to earn a scholarship in college football even before enrolling at Northeast High School three years ago. Good grades counted, so Welch took a summer algebra course before his first year of university to get a head start on the studies.

"Jacquez knew what he wanted and was serious about his goal," said Mitch Disney, a Welch algebra teacher this summer, who is now Dunedin High's head coach of football. "Even at the time, he was talking to me about what it meant to go to the university."

All this extra work paid off last week when Welch received his first offer from Concordia University, a Division II in St. Paul, Minnesota.

A few days later, the unthinkable happened.

After tackling a college match against Osceola on Friday, Welch never got up. Paramedics took a Welch who was not responding to Bayfront Health, where doctors discovered that he was suffering from an arteriovenous malformation. The abnormal tangle of blood vessels and arteries can cause bleeding on the brain in case of rupture, and the disease is usually present before birth and can easily go unnoticed.

On Monday, Welch, 17, was removed from the survival system. His organs will be donated.

Welch's mother, Marcia Nelson, told a congregation of teachers and students at Gateway Baptist Church that doctors had told a doctor that seven lives would be saved by her son.

"Quez was a generous person. He would give everyone he owned, "Nelson said. "He wanted to do that."

She pointed out that playing football did not cause the collapse of her son. Brain AVMs are rare and symptoms such as headaches or seizures usually begin to appear in adulthood. Nelson said that until Friday, nothing indicated that his son was anything but healthy.

Welch's teammates were encouraged to speak to counselors on Monday on campus. The entire faculty met the team after school, many embracing crying athletes.

"The atmosphere was very dark at school," said Will White, coach of women's basketball. "It was so sudden. I think people are still dazed.

This is not the first time that the Northeast football program is facing a tragedy.

• In 2014, 17-year-old defensive lineman Leshawn Williams suffered a knee injury that required the amputation of his leg.

• Last August, Ruben Marcano, a first-year freshman in the 14-year-old junior women's team, died as a result of an accident at home.

• On September 17, Marquis Scott, who played for the Vikings two seasons ago, was shot and killed while riding his bike.

Prior to last week's game, Welch, one of the team's captains, was among those who handed Scott's family a jersey.

Welch played well, scoring on a 60-yard run in the first three minutes of action.

It was the last time he touched the ball on a football pitch.

The players then rushed to the hospital. Seminole High football coach Chris Miller was also at Bayfront that night to monitor a player involved in a car accident. He saw the entire northeastern team.

Vikings coach Jeremy Frioud hugged Miller with his arms before announcing the news.

"It's surreal," Miller said. "I've been there this summer and I know how devastating it can be."

In July, 17-year-old Sophie Delott was struck and killed by an impaired driver as she was cycling home from work on the Indian Rocks Causeway Bridge.

Northeast paid tribute to Delott before playing Seminole on September 6th. Welch was one of the players chosen to go to the middle of the field to deliver roses to the family.

"Jacquez was clearly their best player and just a special kid," said Miller.

The absence of Welch will weigh heavily on the Vikings who are preparing to face Dixie Hollins Friday. The match is important, with first place ranking in Class 6A, District 8. Coach Dale Caparaso said his Rebels would honor Welch by asking players from both teams to find themselves in midfield and to lock your arms for a moment of silence before the match. Caparaso also indicated that he ordered decals number 4 representing the number of the Welch jersey that the teams will wear.

Dixie Hollins quarterback Fernando Monroe was one of Welch's best friends. The two hours of conversation before their matches last week. Monroe congratulated Welch on his scholarship offer.

"He was very excited about this scholarship," said Monroe. "It shows that he was not only a good football player, but also a good student."

Both were excited to face each other.

"The last thing I told him was to have a good game and a ball, and I'll talk to him later," Monroe said.

Welch did not want the purse just for him. He wanted it to help his mother and his four younger siblings.

"Jacquez did not stop saying we were going out," said his mother.

Now, others will benefit from his leadership.

The school plans to create a $ 5,000 scholarship in honor of Welch. Frioud said that each season his players will have to write a sentence that best illustrates Welch. The words will be posted on a wall in the locker room, where the Welch jersey will be hung. The player who best embodies these traits will be awarded the purse.

Frioud said his team was trying to focus on his chance to meet Welch.

"He left this world doing what he liked more than anything else," Frioud said. "And it must be remembered and honored … … If he had chosen his end, it would have been his end.

How to help the family

Northeastern coach Jeremy Frioud created a Go Fund Me page, which raised more than $ 10,000 Monday night to help Jacquez Welch's family pay for his medical expenses. To donate, click here.