For years, an Amarillo TV station has used the slogan, “In the Panhandle Spirit.” Examples of what motivates residents of this part of Texas can be seen on that channel and all around us if we’re paying attention.
A sweet girl just shy of 8 years old stirred up that spirit in a big way this month.
My sister Sheri, niece Sheri and friend Alyssa are coaches of the basketball team for kindergarten through second grade kids at McLean, our small hometown east of Amarillo. Niece Sheri’s son, Dallas, plays for the youth Tigers.
The kids played three games on Monday, Feb. 23, in a 10-team tournament at the Fort Elliott school in Briscoe, a town even smaller than McLean. The Tigers won all three that night to advance to the final games of the tournament on Saturday, Feb. 28.
The team is made up of boys and girls, and one of the second grade girls was Cerys Grace Fuller. Cerys (pronounced CARE-iss) wasn’t one of the starters but got to play a lot in the third game that Monday night.
On Wednesday morning, Cerys was rushed from McLean to an Amarillo hospital after having a seizure due to epilepsy. She was on life support as people across the Panhandle prayed for her.
Her dad, Brian Fuller, preaches at Heald Methodist Church near McLean. He and her mother, Courtney Fuller, posted on Facebook Thursday afternoon that “Cerys is in her heavenly home with Jesus…” and several of her family members.
McLean’s high school boys met Nazareth in a playoff game Friday night in Amarillo. In honor of Cerys, women passed out little purple ribbons to fans entering the Amarillo High gym. The epilepsy awareness color is purple. A paper sign was placed at one end of the court that said in purple letters, “Love Like Cerys.” Whether coincidence or not, her name, common in Wales, means “love” or “loved one.”
The little Tigers, their coaches and Cerys’ family thought she would want their youth team to go ahead and play Canadian on Saturday, so they did, although the wife of the Canadian coach said their team would understand if the game was canceled. She texted my niece Sheri, expressing concern about the Fuller family, the McLean team and the community and asked what they could do.
Sheri said if they wanted, the opponents could wear something purple. Not only did the Canadian kids wear purple wristbands, but all the other teams in the tournament — Kelton, Fort Elliott, Miami, Wheeler, Pampa, Lefors, Shamrock and a second Canadian team — came in that gracious color, whether with socks, ribbons or armbands.
The Lefors Youth Sports organization posted, “No matter where we come from, we’re all one team. Lefors Pirates support McLean Tigers.”
Before niece Sheri left home for the Saturday finals, her face puffy from crying, she saw a cardinal on a tree limb. She smiled, thinking of Cerys above.
McLean didn’t win the finals, but that wasn’t the main concern. The Tiger players were overwhelmed when the little Canadian Wildcats gave gift bags to Cerys’ grieving teammates, each full of toys and a McLean team photo that included Cerys.
McLean’s players wore “Playing for Cerys” T-shirts. Instead of their normal opening shout of “1, 2, 3 Tigers!” they said, “1, 2, 3 Playing for Cerys.” Then both teams got together and shouted the same affirmation.
The referees asked the Canadian and McLean teams to play the opening possession with just four players each — a tribute to the fifth Tiger who was missing.
Cerys’ parents’ post had said the second grader would be “a Superhero through the gift of organ donation.” Because of that process, her official time of passing was on March 1, a Sunday.
School was canceled at McLean on March 6, when a celebration of Cerys took place at One Way Church. Her dad had not preached on Sunday, but he officiated at his daughter’s service.
The basketball player had many other interests. Her obituary said, “She loved school, learning and dreamt of being a teacher.” She liked reading, drawing, coloring and doing math problems, it said, and she loved her big brother Boone and little brother Kael. She often volunteered to feed cattle with her dad.
Her family suggested memorial donations to the McLean school library or to the Epilepsy Foundation.
The widespread care for Cerys is reminiscent of the support for Tatum Schulte of Canyon, whose battle with cancer was supported throughout the area before she passed away just before her 10th birthday in 2017. At one Canyon-Amarillo High game that year, AHS boys players wore “Tatum Tough” warmup shirts honoring the girl from a rival school. It’s the West Texas way.
In the Bible, Paul tells Christians to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2, Revised Standard Version) That’s just natural in the Texas Panhandle.
Mike Haynes taught journalism at Amarillo College from 1991 to 2016 and has written for the Faith section since 1997. He can be reached at haynescolumn@gmail.com. Go to www.haynescolumn.blogspot.com or his Facebook page for more of his columns.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Young teams ‘Love Like Cerys’ in the Panhandle spirit | Haynes column
Reporting by By Mike Haynes, Special to the Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
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