.gif)
The Columbus community is mourning the death of a Cardinal football player after the player succumbed to an illness Wednesday night, Oct. 2.
Aleks Medrano, 17, died at Texas Children’s Hospital after a heroic fight for his life.
Medrano was a senior at Columbus high school and a defensive end and offensive lineman for the Columbus Cardinals.
Columbus Independent School District released a statement on the death of a student, presumably Medrano, that same morning.
“It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we inform you of the passing of one of our students,” said the statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s family, friends and all those affected by this heartbreaking loss. The well-being of our students and staff is our top priority, and we are providing counseling services and support to anyone who may need it during this difficult time. We understand that this loss deeply impacts our entire school community, and we encourage everyone to lean on one another for support.”
Students at Columbus High School and community members around town have been showing their support to Medrano and his family throughout this time through prayer services at the school and around town.
A shirt with a picture of Medrano entering a football field, pointing to the sky, was created by local sports media company Small Town Preps, with all proceeds from the shirt sales going directly to the Medrano family. https://shop.smalltownadvertising.com/products/aleks-medrano-shirt?fbclid=IwY2xjawFrw1ZleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHZY1NAOB6Yt_pRzeuGIOH6c5Cgyo0F3yly3umABozEgs2XntThzXqTkyCA_aem_VqRjWeb-q_voqNB0QAfYjg
Other businesses and members of the community across Columbus, such as Frontier Rodeo Coffee Company, B&D Graphics, Jess N David Ross, Extreme Gym and more, have all joined in the efforts to raise funds, with all donations supporting the Medrano family.
For more details and information about this story, check out the Oct. 9 edition of the Colorado County Citizen.
