{"id":127327,"date":"2025-09-08T08:03:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T08:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/127327\/"},"modified":"2025-09-08T08:03:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T08:03:09","slug":"high-school-football-team-dedicates-season-to-15-year-old-player-who-died-from-seizure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/127327\/","title":{"rendered":"High school football team dedicates season to 15-year-old player who died from seizure"},"content":{"rendered":"

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB<\/a>\/Gray News) – A high school football player from Louisiana is being remembered for his infectious smile and selfless attitude after his tragic death over the summer. As games start up again, his teammates have dedicated their season in his memory.<\/p>\n

Michael Laborde, a rising sophomore student-athlete at Holy Savior Menard High School, died after suffering a seizure July 4, his parents say.<\/p>\n

\u201dWe had a wonderful family barbecue… We sat around talking football and eating and having a great time. They watched the Boston Pops on TV, and Michael had a seizure playing video games with his cousin,\u201d said Michael\u2019s mother, Stephanie Laborde.<\/p>\n

\"MichaelMichael Laborde, a rising sophomore student-athlete at Holy Savior Menard High School, died after suffering a seizure July 4, his parents say.(Laborde family)<\/p>\n

Wearing No. 61, Michael played center for the Menard Eagles football team, who say they are dedicating this season to \u201cliving like Mike.\u201d Teammates say the 15-year-old was a positive light who always made people feel welcomed and put others before himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was just one of the best teammates you could ask for. He was going to focus on you to make your day better no matter what… He needed to have you cracking up. He left a great legacy,\u201d said Lane Evans, a senior center for the Eagles.<\/p>\n

Matthew Hicks, a senior wide receiver\/safety, described Michael as an \u201cideal player.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe always wanted the best for the team and just wanted us to succeed. He always lit up the room. I don\u2019t have a single memory of Michael not having a smile on his face,\u201d Hicks said.<\/p>\n

Connor Lacombe, Michael\u2019s cousin and a freshman center, says at their last dinner together, Michael said the team would go 9-1 this year. By dedicating their season to him, the team says they are ensuring Michael is still with them during every practice, game and event.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, with the 61 on our helmet, it feels like he\u2019s with us. I know he\u2019s with us at all times. I know he\u2019s out there at practice right now. He\u2019s going to be with us in every game, in every practice, in every scrimmage, everything,\u201d Lacombe said.<\/p>\n

\"WearingWearing No. 61, Michael Laborde played center for the Menard Eagles football team, who say they are dedicating this season to “living like Mike.”(Laborde family)<\/p>\n

Coach David Perkins says it\u2019s been great to see the team come together and support Michael\u2019s family in the wake of their tragic loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey want to make sure we don\u2019t forget Michael and make sure we\u2019re doing things to include him \u2014 and not just weekly but daily,\u201d Perkins said.<\/p>\n

Cutter Knowles, a senior wide receiver, says Michael \u201calways gave it his all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter if the coaches were yelling at us or getting on to us, he was always there doing whatever he could to be the best he could,\u201d Knowles said. \u201cWe have 61 on our helmet. Even when things get hard during the game, we just got to remember that it\u2019s for Michael, and we can\u2019t quit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sawyer Brown, a sophomore defensive end, says Michael was his best friend.<\/p>\n

\u201cFootball was his life. He loved school, and to wear 61 with our helmets and just to represent him is the greatest honor I could ever have in my life,\u201d Brown said. \u201cHe\u2019s never gonna get another down. He\u2019s never gonna get another day in school. So, I just can\u2019t take it for granted no more, and it\u2019s the best way that we could pay tribute to my best friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TeammatesTeammates say Michael Laborde, wearing No. 61, was a positive light who always made people feel welcomed and put others before himself.(Laborde family)<\/p>\n

Michael will forever be remembered through the stories and memories told by his family and friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time with him is a story,\u201d Lacombe said. \u201dJust every memory. And every time I was with him, just something better would happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the Eagles start their new season, Michael is surely flying high and cheering his teammates on.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 KALB via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB\/Gray News) – A high school football player from Louisiana is being remembered for his infectious…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":127328,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[563],"tags":[64,63,596,89067,89068,13339,85,89069],"class_list":["post-127327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-football","tag-high-school-football-player-dies","tag-high-schooler-dies-from-seizure","tag-louisiana","tag-sports","tag-team-dedicates-season-to-late-teammate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/127328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}