A youth football team from Southbury is mourning the loss of their assistant coach. Mark Oesau, 53, died unexpectedly last Saturday.
For four years, he helped coach middle school students from Southbury and Middlebury, including his own 12-year-old son, Gibson Oesau.
On Sunday, less than 24 hours after his father's passing, Oesau was back on the field and scored his first-ever touchdown.
"It was really a mix of emotions because I didn't expect that I would," said Gibson Oesau.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
The crowd erupted with cheers and both teams came together to lift Oesau high in the air.
"Rather than tears of sadness that we had all been crying, people flowed with tears of joy and love, and it was incredible," said Lisa Oesau, Gibson's mother.
She says her husband died of heart failure, leaving her and his only child behind. She says he was a wonderful and kindhearted man and worked very hard as a coach.
Local
"He would do team validations, which means he would stand on the side, and he would count everybody's plays. He would make sure everyone is getting their plays in."
She says her husband helped everyone and made sure his team had what they needed from mouth guards to shin guards to tape. His colleagues say he would give students a ride to and from practice whenever they needed one.
"He did it all for everybody," said Lisa Oesau.
At practice Saturday, the team put his chair out to honor him.
"I think he would love this. I think the love and the honor that everybody is giving him would overwhelm him," said Gibson's mom.
"It's kind of funny because he always sat in there," said Oesau.
Oesau's number is 89 - the number he and his dad picked together, and he says it's one way that he'll be keeping his dad close to his heart.
"He taught me really how to play as a team and so that's kind of my goal. One, represent him on and off the field, and two, do what he taught me. I just want to live by him," said Oesau.
Oesau's next game is Sunday at 3 p.m. at Pomperaug High School in Southbury.
