Football Helps Restore Teen's Shattered Faith

There are many stories about athletes whose faith helps them deal with the challenges of sports. At a Catholic high school in Los Angeles, football has helped a teen deal with the challenges of faith.

P>SPRING LAKES, MI (Catholic Online) - There are many stories about athletes whose faith helps them deal with the challenges of sports. At a Catholic high school in Los Angeles, football has helped a teen deal with the challenges of faith.On his fifteenth birthday in 2006, then Cathedral High School freshman Kyle Merrill experienced a tragedy that rocked his life and shattered his faith. A car with Kyle and four other teens inside swerved off the road, crashed into a tree and burst into flames. Kyle and one other passenger managed to escape the burning car, but they watched helplessly as the other three occupants perished--including Kyle's older brother Matthew.

"I lost a lot of faith in God," he told the Los Angeles Times in a recent interview. Kyle began to wonder if God existed, and if he did, why would he allow such a tragedy. "I don't know why it happened to me, especially on my birthday," he said. Kyle soon found himself confused and depressed, without a clear direction out. "I didn't know if I wanted to come back to Cathedral, let alone school."

Through the grace of God, Kyle began to find his path in gradual steps. Every Sunday he would visit Matthew's grave site, enjoying the peace and tranquility he found there. A school counselor helped him to open up about his feelings. He began to think about why he lived and others died. "I think God took him away to kind of test me," he said.But a major component of Kyle's healing was the sport both he and Matthew loved--football--and the legacy his brother had bestowed upon him.

"He taught me that prayer is a big part of life," said Kyle. With that memory he slowly began returning to prayer, including time in the school chapel before every game. He prays that his brother and their friends who died are with him when he plays, and draws inspiration from their memory and from the game itself.

"Football kind of helps me cope with it," he said. "Because I know my brother was a very competitive athlete, and I know if I wasn't playing football he'd kind of be not angry at me, but disappointed because he always pushed me to be a competitive athlete. I just think of how he would prepare, how he would get ready and how he would focus."

Kyle found football healing in other ways as well. "The physical work gets my mind off the emotions. During that time, I had a lot of problems sleeping. Football practice is good because it gets you tired."

Kyle's renewed faith is evidenced by his regular prayer time--and perhaps by his rejuvenated football performance as well. In his senior season this past fall he racked up impressive numbers both as a receiver and a defensive back. On offense he had 53 receptions for a total of 903 yards (a 17.37 average) and twelve touchdowns. On defense he recorded 25 tackles, 25 assists, two interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

Perhaps most telling about Kyle's playing ability and character is that he was a semi-finalist for the 2009 Rudy Award, a national honor given to a high school football player who exemplifies character, courage, contribution and commitment. Nominating Kyle for this award, Cathedral's Alumni Association Vice-President Carlos Carbajal wrote:

"If you see Kyle on campus he is well loved by teachers and students alike. Coach Pearson has given most inspirational player to Kyle the last two years for the football team. I think Kyle's courage, contributions, character and commitment to his school and community go above and beyond."

So does his example to all of us.

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