Young Damon Janes died playing the game he loved, but at the age of 16, it was a devastating blow to his family when it happened.
Like any young football player, he reveled in the competitiveness of the sport and, as a running back for Westfield/Brocton, played with the bravado and fearlessness of youth. Helmeted, and with all the padded protective gear, he thought nothing of rushing headlong into his opponents, heads crashing together like two young bulls.
With the resilience of youth, he would bounce back up, shake it off, and get back into position for the next play.
He was on the field a lot during any game, sometimes returning kickoffs, sometimes in the backfield playing defense as well as his usual position of running back. His parents loved to see him play and rarely missed a game.
The opening season game on September 7 against Randolph saw him play his usual fearless game, charging in, butting helmets, running yards until he was tackled.
On that fateful night, September 13, 2013, a week later, he took multiple helmet-to-helmet collisions just like he had done dozens of times before without a second thought. For him winning was everything and he played his heart out, leaving everything on the field, literally never backing down.
One particular play in the game saw him brutally hammered by two opposing players, helmets slamming together. He went down, hard, got back to his feet, and carried on with the game as if nothing had happened.
There was nothing untoward as he walked unaided from the field after his final collision a short while later, nothing to indicate that he had been hurt in any way – until he collapsed near the benches on the sidelines, unconscious.
His parents rushed over, concern turning to panic as the medics couldn’t rouse him. For three days they stayed by his side in the medical center in Buffalo, hoping against hope that he would recover, would open his eyes. But that third day was to be his last as he passed away without ever regaining consciousness, without his family ever having the opportunity to say goodbye.