The Bloomfield community is mourning the loss of Pop Warner football player Saturday. Bloomfield school officials say he collapsed during football practice earlier this week and could not be revived. His memory was honored during a vigil.
“Nobody can prepare me for this moment,” Trevor Ford, President of the Bloomfield Junior Warhawks, a Pop Warner football team, said.
A moment of somber reflection for several dozen people gathered on the football field at Bloomfield High School. They were there for a vigil in memory of 14-year-old Jahkye Gale who started as a freshman there.
“Losing him is definitely like a shooting star leaving the sky,” Ford said.
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Jahkye was a member of the Bloomfield Junior Warhawks. Ford says he was set to receive the lifetime achievement award through his work on the team.
“He was the bright light of the team. Every team has a comedian. Every team has a somebody who brings joy, laughter and that type of energy. That type of spirit,” Ford said.
A spirit Jahkye’s older brother knew very well.
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“My little brother meant a lot to me. He was always a smart, helpful, and sweet kid. He always has high honors at school, and he was also very strong and talented,” Lamar Bennette said.
The team says on Wednesday, players were going through pre-warmups during practice when Jahkye suddenly collapsed. Staff and emergency personnel rushed to help, but Jahkye was unable to be revived. An unimaginable loss Jahkye’s mother is still processing.
“I shouldn’t be here. Like, I can’t prepare myself for this,” Stacey Haylett said.
Ford says the support and solidarity from other Pop Warner teams has been overwhelming.
“A couple teams made these ribbons and they put them on their jerseys, which I thought was very honorable of them. They didn’t have to do that,” he said.
He says the team will be in Florida next weekend trying to play for a Pop Warner championship. This time, they’ll be doing it for Jahkye.
“We want to continue to encourage our youth to live on for Jahkye because Jahkye was a bright light and his life is going to be a reflection of our team,” Ford said.
The team has created a fundraiser for the family which is available on their website to help raise money for the funeral and other memorial expenses.
