Three players overcome tragic losses by drawing strength from each other
By Mark Ambrogi
Football family. Band of Brothers. Carmel High School coach Kevin Wright knows there are many over-used clichés.
But it certainly rings true for his team, which has gone through more off-the-field adversity than most high school teams ever do as three players have lost their fathers in the last two-plus years.
“There’s a lot of clichés that coaches use that aren’t clichés for us because we’ve lived them,” Wright said. “When you talk about being brothers, we’ve had to be that to each other. You’re always going to deal with some kind of adversity. But the difference is we’ve gone through life-and-death situations three years in a row.”
Senior linebacker Jesse Clifford’s father, David, died in March 2012 after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as ALS. Senior running back Shakir Paschall’s father, Eric, suffered a heart attack in the stands during the home semistate game in November and later died at the hospital. Then on July 27, junior running back Stephen Watts Jr.’s father, Stephen Sr., and mother, Candi, were in a car accident on their way to church. Stephen Watts Sr. died Aug. 14 from the injuries.
The three boys have leaned hard on each other and their teammates.
“The night that my dad passed away almost my whole team that played that night and a few of my teachers showed up,” Shakir said. “The bond is awesome. We don’t let each other settle for less. We always pick each other up and encourage each other to do better. This is like a second family to me. I know if something happens to me, I know these guys will be here for me every step of the way.”
Understanding the pain, Jesse reached out to Shakir immediately after his father died.
“He was there picking me up and telling me it was going to be all right,” Shakir said. “He gave me confidence in myself again. I felt, ‘wow, he’s my brother even though we’re not blood.’ He helped me a lot.”
Shakir and Jesse made sure they were there for Stephen as well.
“Stephen is a sensitive guy, so we have to work even harder to pick him up,” Shakir said.
Their guidance and a strong faith has helped Stephen forge ahead.
“Shakir and Jesse have helped a lot in telling me what to do when I’m down on myself or tell me it’s OK when I fumble the ball,” Stephen said. “They are telling me something my dad would tell me, so that helps a lot.”
Often, he hears his own dad’s words echoing in his head.
“It’s almost like I feel him with me when I’m running the ball,” Stephen said. “Sometimes when I’m on the field, he’s telling me something to do and I just have a certain instinct of help from him.”
Football was a passion all three sons shared with their dads, who all were youth football coaches.
“It’s wasn’t unusual to see them at practice, just hanging out with the kids they coached and being around the game they loved,” Wright said.
Jesse’s father was an ex-Carmel football player, playing on the 1978 state championship team. Jesse’s two older brothers, Alex and Sam, also played at Carmel. His oldest brother, Benjamin, played high school football in Fairfield, Conn. David Clifford was a fixture on the sidelines in his wheelchair during the Greyhounds’ 2011 state championship run.
“All three dads loved football and we all knew each other’s dads,” Jesse said. “Carmel always brings people back together.”
The three players share a prayer before every game.
“We all look at it as a blessing, knowing they are looking down at us,” said Jesse, whose team opens sectional play at Noblesville on Oct. 24. “We’re doing it for them and trying to get this last state title.”
Losing his father has made him a stronger person, Jesse said.
“I love my Pops and I miss him dearly,” Jesse said. “I wish he was here more than anything. There is nothing I can do about it. I used that as strength and keep pushing in everything I do.”
The circumstances have made the Greyhounds a close-knit team despite having more than 200 players, including freshmen.
“We have a big football team and you are not going to be close to everybody,” Wright said. “But for the most part, it’s brought us together. You’re sharing a common goal of trying to deal with adversity at the highest level.”
Aisha Paschall, Shakir’s mother, said it has been a godsend for her son.
“With the extra support he gets, it’s such a wonderful thing,” she said. “Sometimes you need more than your mom and brothers and sisters. It’s definitely like a brotherhood. It’s like he has over 200-something brothers. It’s a wonderful thing, all the love they’ve shown not only to Shakir but to the entire family.”
