JOYCE — When the shock wears off, the Crescent Loggers will turn their attention back to basketball.
For now, the Loggers are completely focused on a teammate whose father died during a Wednesday game at Neah Bay.
The father, whose name is being withheld by the Crescent School District, suffered an apparent heart attack while watching his son during the first quarter of the second game of the girls and boys doubleheader, said school officials and Neah Bay Police Chief Sam White.
White said he did not know the man’s name.
The man was sitting in the stands next to the team bus driver when he collapsed, Crescent athletic director Dave Bingham said. The cause of death has not been officially determined.
“This dad was an avid supporter of his child and the kids at Crescent,” Bingham said.
Neah Bay Fire Capt. John Brunk and the department’s emergency medical services coordinator, Louise Smith, working with Neah Bay police and Crescent coaches, attempted to revive the man with CPR and a defibrillator. He was transported to the Neah Bay clinic and pronounced dead.
Cape Flattery School District officials opened a commons area for Crescent players and fans after the game was halted.
“The Neah Bay people did an extraordinary job helping with our kids,” Bingham said.
“They were outstanding in the support and compassion that they showed our kids and their own children,” Crescent School District Superintendent Tom Anderson added.
“It was a very traumatic scene during the ball game.”
While head coach Darren Heaward and the man’s son rushed to the Neah Bay clinic, team members remained in the commons area, sharing tears and hugs, Bingham said.
School officials contacted the parents of Crescent players and the traveling students, Anderson said. The team bus arrived in Joyce at 12:25 a.m.
“We took time to talk to parents and students when they got off the bus,” Anderson said.
Some of the players, parents, coaches, church and community members remained at the school until 1:45 a.m.
Games canceled
Crescent was scheduled to host Clallam Bay today in a boys and girls basketball doubleheader. Those games have been canceled, and no make-up date has been set.
“We’ve got kids that are emotionally tired and tired from lack of sleep,” Bingham said.
The Joyce school provided grief counselors Thursday to help its students and staff cope with the tragedy, Anderson said.
Substitute teachers were on hand, and the school opened a drop-in room for grieving students.
“It was a pretty emotional day for a lot of kids on campus,” Anderson said.
The basketball team met Thursday afternoon to map out the next few days.
“The young man whose father passed away was in the team meeting,” Bingham said. “They made the decision they needed to have a couple days off.”
There is no school on Monday because of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Crescent’s girls team is scheduled to play at Quilcene on Tuesday.
The next boys game is Wednesday against the Port Angeles C squad in Port Angeles.
“It’s very possible the boys won’t practice until Tuesday,” Bingham said.
The Loggers play in the Class 1B North Olympic League. The enrollment of the high school is around 70.
Bingham described the basketball teams as close-knit, with strong ties to the community and the Joyce Bible Church, where the father attended.
“Everybody knows everybody,” Bingham said. “Many of these kids have been in class together since kindergarten.”
Community outpouring
Anderson described an “outpouring of love from the community members and kids.”
The Neah Bay boys game is considered suspended, Bingham said. It isn’t clear if the game will be rescheduled.
“There are a couple of scenarios,” Bingham said. “We’ll see whether it needs to be finished or not.”
Bingham said players were discussing ideas for ways to honor the father for the remainder of the season.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
