'He's a Lancer forever'
1,000 plus celebrate the life of Matt Van Gelderen
Some came wearing Lancer Red & White. Others wore Timberwolf Blue & Silver.
They were a family of one walking with heavy hearts toward Calvary Community Church on a warm Saturday fall afternoon tailor-made for football. The sound of a Manteca Chargers announcer calling the play-by-play could be heard from East Union High a few blocks away.
They were playing the game Matthew Zaragoza Van Gelderen loved.
But the game didn't matter now as young men and women entered the church foyer to the strands of Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young" playing from the public address system.
They gravitated toward displays of sympathy and love for a 16-year-old who could never be defined just by football -- but he certainly could for his love of the sport and for the love he had of his family, friends, and life.
There were footballs signed by the EU junior varsity, Escalon High, Tracy High, and other teams. There were jerseys such as those from Lincoln High and the Manteca Chargers carrying the No. 2. There were notes. There were written prayers. But most of all there was a lot of love.
How does one make any sense of it all? Here's a young man who one minute is playing football, the next minute he's fighting for his life, and then he's gone.
The answer, as Jim Todd who spoke before the 1,000 plus who attended Matt's memorial service Saturday offered, was the fact earth was just practice. The real game was in heaven on the team headed by God.
Todd alluded to the bright lights of Friday night. It wasn't lost on him that Matthew went home at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23, almost a week after the on-field accident. It was kick-off time for the Hilmar-East Union game. And it was also kick-off time for a much bigger game.
"Heaven is the ultimate campus," Todd said as he glanced toward the EU football team that was seated together with the varsity wearing white jerseys and the junior varsity red jerseys.
It was the fact that his family is secure in their faith in God as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that allowed his father Jose to attend last Friday's game. He laughed and hugged well-wishers while his daughter and Matthew's twin sister Katrina joined fellow cheerleaders to cheer on the Lancers.
Prior to the memorial service, Matthew's parents -- Jose and Zona -- met with the media. It was something they felt they had to do. Not to answer questions, but to make sure that the community -- friends and strangers alike -- understood how important their prayers, their thoughts, and their support meant to them in past 16 days as well as in the days ahead.
"It meant a lot to our family," Matt's mom said.
"He's in a better place right now," Matt's father added.
His mom wanted to make sure that everyone didn't simply define Matt by football.
"He loved skateboarding and the guitar," she said, adding his friends, video games, and other teen pursuits into the mix.
She was sure to add, though, that "His greatest love was football."
Matthew hoped to one day earn a college scholarship and play for his favorite team, the Texas Longhorns.
Instead, God had other plans for Matthew. He needed No. 2 on his team.
Todd referred to the miracles he saw unfold in the past few weeks: Teens praying openly at school. Well-wishers from across the nation -- including 600,000 who left messages on the www.2mattz.com website. Players wearing Manteca Green & White and Sierra Blue & Silver gathering in the East Union parking lot hugging and consoling Matt's teammates and classmates.
The tragedy made it clear it wasn't about being adversaries. It was being part of a bigger brotherhood in the community and reaching out to others.
Matthew's coach Mike James understand that as well as anyone else. James said the Lancers started the season as teammates but now they were "brothers forever."
James shared that in talking to players from the freshmen level on up to seniors that there was a common thread about their thoughts about No. 2.
"(They said) Matt was a superb role model as an athlete and as a human being," James said.
There is no football statistic that can come close to such an accolade. And when it came to being such a role model, Matt was All-State.
James, like others, talked of the contagious smile that Matt spread to all of those whose lives he touched.
Coaches are supposed to get players fired up.
They're not supposed to have to deliver lines such as these:
"Matt's family was not just inside his house. It was in the city. It was it was in the counties."
"We're the lucky ones because we got to know Matt. We got to see his smile."
"East Union changed for ever (on Sept. 16) We lost a member of our family."
Matthew family's strong faith as well as their deep love for their son was reflected in a memorial video.
The photos from sharing a crib with his twin sister to mugging for the camera as a pre-teen triggered tears, they brought laughter, and they prompted crying.
A Sierra High linebacker, clutching a memorial service card with Matt's photo, wiped away a tear.
A dozen seats away, a young man in borderline Goth garb cried. It was obvious it wasn't the loss of just a football player that brought people to Calvary Community Saturday. It was the loss of a friend and a fine young man.
"He was No. 2 on the football field but he was No. 1 in our hearts," James offered in understated eloquence.
"He'a Lancer forever."
this was posted on the mantecabulletin website. But I was reading the record this morning and in there it said that during Friday's night game when one of Matthew's teammate who scored a touchdown, he had pointed the football up in the air saying "this is for Matthew". Oh man, I just wanted to cry so badly but I had to hold the tears.
Some came wearing Lancer Red & White. Others wore Timberwolf Blue & Silver.
They were a family of one walking with heavy hearts toward Calvary Community Church on a warm Saturday fall afternoon tailor-made for football. The sound of a Manteca Chargers announcer calling the play-by-play could be heard from East Union High a few blocks away.
They were playing the game Matthew Zaragoza Van Gelderen loved.
But the game didn't matter now as young men and women entered the church foyer to the strands of Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young" playing from the public address system.
They gravitated toward displays of sympathy and love for a 16-year-old who could never be defined just by football -- but he certainly could for his love of the sport and for the love he had of his family, friends, and life.
There were footballs signed by the EU junior varsity, Escalon High, Tracy High, and other teams. There were jerseys such as those from Lincoln High and the Manteca Chargers carrying the No. 2. There were notes. There were written prayers. But most of all there was a lot of love.
How does one make any sense of it all? Here's a young man who one minute is playing football, the next minute he's fighting for his life, and then he's gone.
The answer, as Jim Todd who spoke before the 1,000 plus who attended Matt's memorial service Saturday offered, was the fact earth was just practice. The real game was in heaven on the team headed by God.
Todd alluded to the bright lights of Friday night. It wasn't lost on him that Matthew went home at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23, almost a week after the on-field accident. It was kick-off time for the Hilmar-East Union game. And it was also kick-off time for a much bigger game.
"Heaven is the ultimate campus," Todd said as he glanced toward the EU football team that was seated together with the varsity wearing white jerseys and the junior varsity red jerseys.
It was the fact that his family is secure in their faith in God as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that allowed his father Jose to attend last Friday's game. He laughed and hugged well-wishers while his daughter and Matthew's twin sister Katrina joined fellow cheerleaders to cheer on the Lancers.
Prior to the memorial service, Matthew's parents -- Jose and Zona -- met with the media. It was something they felt they had to do. Not to answer questions, but to make sure that the community -- friends and strangers alike -- understood how important their prayers, their thoughts, and their support meant to them in past 16 days as well as in the days ahead.
"It meant a lot to our family," Matt's mom said.
"He's in a better place right now," Matt's father added.
His mom wanted to make sure that everyone didn't simply define Matt by football.
"He loved skateboarding and the guitar," she said, adding his friends, video games, and other teen pursuits into the mix.
She was sure to add, though, that "His greatest love was football."
Matthew hoped to one day earn a college scholarship and play for his favorite team, the Texas Longhorns.
Instead, God had other plans for Matthew. He needed No. 2 on his team.
Todd referred to the miracles he saw unfold in the past few weeks: Teens praying openly at school. Well-wishers from across the nation -- including 600,000 who left messages on the www.2mattz.com website. Players wearing Manteca Green & White and Sierra Blue & Silver gathering in the East Union parking lot hugging and consoling Matt's teammates and classmates.
The tragedy made it clear it wasn't about being adversaries. It was being part of a bigger brotherhood in the community and reaching out to others.
Matthew's coach Mike James understand that as well as anyone else. James said the Lancers started the season as teammates but now they were "brothers forever."
James shared that in talking to players from the freshmen level on up to seniors that there was a common thread about their thoughts about No. 2.
"(They said) Matt was a superb role model as an athlete and as a human being," James said.
There is no football statistic that can come close to such an accolade. And when it came to being such a role model, Matt was All-State.
James, like others, talked of the contagious smile that Matt spread to all of those whose lives he touched.
Coaches are supposed to get players fired up.
They're not supposed to have to deliver lines such as these:
"Matt's family was not just inside his house. It was in the city. It was it was in the counties."
"We're the lucky ones because we got to know Matt. We got to see his smile."
"East Union changed for ever (on Sept. 16) We lost a member of our family."
Matthew family's strong faith as well as their deep love for their son was reflected in a memorial video.
The photos from sharing a crib with his twin sister to mugging for the camera as a pre-teen triggered tears, they brought laughter, and they prompted crying.
A Sierra High linebacker, clutching a memorial service card with Matt's photo, wiped away a tear.
A dozen seats away, a young man in borderline Goth garb cried. It was obvious it wasn't the loss of just a football player that brought people to Calvary Community Saturday. It was the loss of a friend and a fine young man.
"He was No. 2 on the football field but he was No. 1 in our hearts," James offered in understated eloquence.
"He'a Lancer forever."
this was posted on the mantecabulletin website. But I was reading the record this morning and in there it said that during Friday's night game when one of Matthew's teammate who scored a touchdown, he had pointed the football up in the air saying "this is for Matthew". Oh man, I just wanted to cry so badly but I had to hold the tears.