Johnny Ray died in a car crash a year ago Sunday. (Family Photo)
Wherever you turned there were reminders of Johnny Ray.
At a pep rally Friday, many Moore Catholic teachers and students wore buttons and bracelets with the date of the former football and baseball star’s sudden death nearly a year ago. It was the start to an entire weekend dedicated to remembering the joy of his life and sadness of his death.
“It brings you back to last year before homecoming, all those practices and Johnny Ray coming around, being himself, smiling, running around making us better, cracking jokes,” senior lineman Dom Casella said. “It brings me back. There is a lot of nostalgia here.”
Eating in the cafeteria after last season’s homecoming win over Henry Snyder (N.J.) was the last time many saw of Ray. Later that night the 16-year-old was killed when he crashed his parent’s SUV into a utility pole on a rain-slicked Father Capodanno Boulevard on Staten Island. A year later the team and the school are making sure Ray is always visible to all who visit Moore Catholic.
Prior to the Mavericks’ Homecoming game Saturday afternoon against St. Joseph’s of Metuchen (N.J.) a monument will be unveiled in memory of Ray and former Mavericks and Iona College defensive lineman Jared Scotto, who died at the age of 23 two months later of epithelioid sarcoma, a form of cancer.
“It’s good to know there are people we are going to be playing for,” senior running back Rob Ortiz said. “During the game we will have those people in our minds to succeed for, which is pretty important to us because [Ray] should be with us right now. He would be going crazy for this game and this weekend.”
Moore coach Greg Rocco admitted that his team hasn’t had the greatest week of practice. His staff has tried to focus the kids on football, while not losing sight of the weekend’s events. The kids stressed the importance of winning their second straight Homecoming game, victory that would put them above .500, and doing so for Ray and his mother Lori Morales, who never misses a home game. Saturday will be a celebratory atmosphere leading into a somber Sunday, the anniversary of the crash.
“We have a game tomorrow. We can’t lose focus of that,” Rocco said. “I think that it’s appropriate that on Sunday that we do reflect on those loved ones that we lost, including Johnny Ray and Jared Scotto. It’s a nice possibility for closure.”
The impact of both players’ deaths have reached beyond the football field. Rocco, his players, the school’s cheerleaders and other students organized a “Walk to Remember,” for any loved one who has passed, along Father Capodanno Boulevard for Sunday morning. He expects more than 300 people and had bracelets, mugs and t-shirts made up for the event that will be followed by a celebration back at that the school. Many will return to the crash site later that night for a candlelight vigil at 7:54 p.m., the time of Ray’s death.
“I don’t know how it’s going to be, but I do appreciate the memorial,” Morales said. “It’s not really a year and you are not really functioning properly to think, maybe we should put this together or that together. You just can’t think straight. It’s an awesome feeling to know that [Moore] can take over and take care of everything.”
In addition the school had the largest student fundraiser in its history of more than $50,000 to pay for a memory garden to be built on school grounds. It is hoped to become a place where students and faculty can go in times of despair and reflection and also one to hold religion classes. During the pep rally, Moore principal Doug McManus called the day an historic one for the school because of the spirit being exuded by the students. It’s something the football players are comforted by
“There has been a lot of excitement going on,” Casella said. “The whole school is really into it right now, which is a great thing.”
Excitement was something Ray brought just about every time he stepped on a field. He was getting attention from Division I football schools, including letters from Rutgers. The wide receiver had 184 all-purpose yards, including an 80-yard kickoff return for a score and the winning touchdown catch, in a 16-14 victory over Long Island Lutheran last year. As a middle infielder he was a highly touted prospect on the diamond as well.
The football team has white sweat shirts that features Ray’s picture with angel’s wings behind him and the players do a chant before every kickoff in his honor. They haven’t touched his locker since his death. There is a sign with his name, his No. 4 and the Mavericks logo at the bottom. His picture is taped below three bottles of Arizona Green Tea on the top shelf and a pack of Swedish Fish between them. It’s as if Ray never left.
That’s because for so many people he hasn’t
“We don’t look at it as closure, because we never forget about Johnny Ray, but we are doing it for him,” junior quarterback Russ Brown said. “We are keeping him in our mind in everything we do.”