“Some people grow up faster than others.”
This, profoundly, is what O’Bannon High School quarterback Chandler Wade said after he was interviewed last week as was trying to make sense of the separate tragedies that both he and teammate, Jamychael Williams, have had to overcome. Through faith and football, the teammates have persevered. They are looking to their bright futures but never forgetting their past.
The loss of a lifetime
For Chandler, it was the loss of his mother, Kirsten, when he was just four years old. Chandler doesn’t remember very much about his mom, who died of a sudden heart attack at their Greenville home; but what he does remember, he cherishes.
“I remember me having fun with her and being happy when I was with her. I also remember that I was sometime a bad child and getting a whooping.
“The day she died I thought she was a asleep. The ambulance came by and told me to go back in the back yard and play.”
Since that day, Chandler has been raised by his father and his sister.
“In a lot of ways my childhood has really been great. My father and sister have given me a chance. It hasn’t been bad. They keep me healthy and straight and make sure I have what I need.”
O’Bannon football coach Lynn Lang said he is amazed by Chandler’s great outlook on life.
“To go through that type of trauma at that age and to persevere. You look at him and it just wonderful to see. He is a mannerly young man. His father and sister did a great job with him. He has great grades. Nothing really upsets him.”
Soon to be a senior at O’Bannon, Chandler has blossomed into a three sport star athlete in basketball, football and baseball. While baseball is his favorite sport and the one he wants to pursue in college, Chandler is excited about his upcoming football season where he will be the starting quarterback for the fourth straight year.
“As a senior, I expect Chandler to lead the guys into battle. I expect him to make sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to do,” Coach Lang said.
Said Chandler, “I definitely think I am going to play my best my senior year. “My precision and my patience are what make me a better quarterback now. The difference in also in my confidence and my strength.
“I want to play my best for myself, my coaches and my teammates. But, every game I play, I dedicate to my mom. She is the main reason why I play.”
Cherish each day
It still feels like it happened just yesterday, Jamychael says, about the tornado that destroyed his Rolling Fork home in March of 2023. The EF-4 tornado in Mississippi killed 21 Mississippians that day. Jamychael calls it a miracle that none of his family members perished as he recalls that “it sounded like a train was coming through. We all ran to the bathroom. All five of us were in the bathroom and we had two mattresses over us. When we got the warning, it was already there. We were praying. It lasted about 20 seconds, but those were the longest 20 seconds in my life.
“I guess the lesson that I learned is that you don’t know when you are going to die so you better not take any day for granted. You have to care and love the people that you are with. That is the most important thing.”
“I plan to go back to Rolling Fork when I get bigger so I can give them money so they can build more things.
Jamychael and his family moved to Greenville after the tornado. While he misses his former South Delta teammates, he says he is grateful for the O’Bannon community for opening their arms so he can start his new life. He will be a junior wide receiver this season for the Greenwaves.
“I have tried to put my past behind me and focus on the future This is a fun place and everyone seems like a family.”
Jamychael has already made a positive impression
“He is a quiet young man, but he does everything you ask of him,” said Coach Lang. “He is hard working. He comes early. He stays late. He is willing to work hard and never complains.”
