LENNOX, S.D. (KELO) — This weekend is about more than bringing home a state title for two brothers on the Lennox High School football team. It’s also about finding motivation through their own personal loss.
Football has been a part of Emory and Jevyn Lefers’ lives several years. The support they’ve received from friends and family over the years has meant a lot, especially from their dad.
“After the game, we would talk. We would talk about anything. If we had something to say, he would listen and then he would elaborate and it’d just be, really, a learning experience,” Jevyn Lefer said.
“In that last game last year, I just couldn’t help myself. I felt like I just disappointed everyone,” Emory Lefer said. “He just helped me, gave me a big hug and told me everything’s gonna be okay.”
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But the two weren’t prepared for how different this season would look. Their father, Troy, passed away unexpectedly in March.
“My father, he had a blood clot on his leg. I did not know about it and then… I kind of… I came home one day… he was just he was there, and… I don’t know. I didn’t realize how bad it was, and I just… I found him,” Emory said.
Troy was a mentor and a loving person who gave others a purpose to keep trying.
“I always had the worst days, but he was always there just to talk to me and help me whenever I needed help,” Emory said.
This weekend, Emory and Jevyn are playing for the name on the front of their jerseys, but they’re also playing in honor of the name that’s forever in their hearts.
“Kind of had a motivation in me to work hard to show people that even though that’s happened in my life that I can learn and overcome such actions,” Jevyn said.
The brothers say they’re grateful for the support they’ve received from their friends, family and community.
“It’s for everyone, for my family. And I consider my team as my family,” Jevyn said. “I want to do it for them as well as my dad, to show them that we are capable of and even though he’s not here, that he would be proud of us.”
The Orioles play in the class 11A state championship on Saturday, Nov. 16 at the DakotaDome. Kickoff is at noon.
