In Honor Of Luis Garcia
East High Pays Tribute To Slain Teammate, Classmate, Friend
Story and photos by Reid Neureiter
For the GPHN
Oct. 12 was an emotional night for East High School’s defending state champion boys varsity soccer squad. The home league game against the Far Northeast Warriors was designated to remember 16-year old Luis Garcia, a member of the state championship team who was senselessly struck down in February by gun violence on the Esplanade next to the very soccer field where he had played so many games.
The fence behind the home stand was decorated with Luis’ name and uniform number (#11). Luis’ family, including parents Criselda Bobadilla and Santos Garcia, sister Jovana, and brother, also named Santos, were seated in the center of the grandstand, under a tent protecting them from the threatening rain. Fifteen minutes before kickoff, both teams, the Angels and Warriors, paraded somberly together across the field. Every player presented Garcia’s parents with a rose — either red or white, East’s colors. Tears were shed by players and fans alike as the players hugged first Santos, then Criselda.
Head Coach Kirk Bast introduced two of Luis’ teammates, senior Jose Najera and junior Clayton Thomas. In English and Spanish, they delivered a tribute to Luis as a soccer teammate, a classmate, and as a person.
According to Coach Bast, Luis would have been an important part of this year’s team, in what would have been his senior year. Bast, who visited Luis and the family at the hospital during the two weeks between the shooting and Luis being taken off life-support, said that losing Luis has hit Bast harder than anything in his career.
“It is such a violent thing, how Luis’s life ended. And Luis was such a peaceful person,” said Bast. “I saw the struggle for Luis trying to stay alive, and the struggle of his family, who loves him so much, and I saw the struggle of the players, and it was very personal.” No arrests have been made in Garcia’s killing.
The tribute by Najara and Thomas concluded with this message: “We thank you Santos, Criselda, Jovana and Santos Jr., and your entire family for sharing such a wonderful young man with Denver East Soccer. We thank you for the values that Luis brought to us from what he learned as a boy.
“Please know that you all will forever be a part of our Denver East Soccer family.”
The family was presented with Luis’s framed #11 jersey with four gold stars over the East logo, representing the high school’s four state championships. The two teams, East and Far Northeast, went to the center circle on the field, interlocked arms and spent a moment in silence. The game then began.
Perhaps inspired the emotion of the evening and the memory of their fallen teammate, the Angels proceeded to win the matchup against Far Northeast by a resounding 5-0 score. East’s attack was led by junior forward Prishad Mitchell, who scored East’s first two goals and generated the third by being fouled with the ball in the penalty box. The penalty kick was converted by senior captain Theo Scott. As of Oct. 15, East’s record stands at 10-3 and a perfect 6-0 in the Denver Prep League.
