MEXIA, Texas (KXXV) — Mexia High School's football coach Aaron Nowell is mourning a loss, following a devastating phone call about one of his players.
Student and football player at Mexia High School Micah Kirven, died from cardiac arrest after having an asthma attack last week.
Nowell has been at Mexia for four years, and during that time, he saw Micah grow from a boy to a man.
"As good of an athlete as he was, he was 10 times the young man," Nowell said.
Micah's absence is being felt on the team — Anthony Schaff played with Micah for four years.
"Anytime you're around him, he's always making you laugh," Schaff said.
"You can notice he was there, because he was a great person."
Teammates and friends say it was Micah's energy that made him who he was.
"The last two months he had a saying like, 'Who had main character energy or side character energy?'."
There are 25 seniors on the team, and those players who knew Micah will continue to honor him and his legacy.
"It was definitely a brother love," Schaff said.
As the team continues to practice without him, a clear mission is in everyone's minds —
"I asked the guys what they wanted to do, so when we break it out, it's for Micah — they're dedicating all their efforts for him," Nowell said.
"Let's finish off strong and finish this off for Micah."
