Bishop McGuinness Football Team Prepares for Season Opener After Tragic Loss of Teammate

The Bishop McGuinness football team prepares for its season opener while grieving the loss of one of its players. Senior Zach Tawwater drowned at Grand Lake during the Fourth of July holiday.

Head Coach Ryan Stringer says that through the grief, the team plans to honor Zach’s life every time they hit the field.

“We miss him,” said Coach Stringer, Bishop McGuinness.

Every huddle and every drill during practice this week wasn’t quite the same. Tawwater is missing from this year’s football roster for Bishop McGinness following his death in July.

“Zach was a fantastic young man, very intelligent as everybody knows he was going to go to Dartmouth to play football,” said Coach Stringer. “It was just a really unfortunate situation.”

Investigators say Tawwater was swimming with friends at Grand Lake when he jumped from the roof of a dock and never resurfaced.

“It was really difficult for them to kind of come out of their shell a little bit in the following weeks,” Coach Stringer said about the team. “But as time's gone, they've come more back to their normal selves knowing it's never going to be normal.”

Instead, the team is practicing a new normal.

“Every day's a new day; some days are good, some days are tough,” said Coach Stringer.

Every day, though, is a chance to remember their teammate, wearing bracelets and for quarterback Damon Cochran, playing with intention.

“We've been through a lot,” said Damon Cochran, Bishop McGuinness quarterback. “We have a lot of edge on our team because we have something we're playing for.”

For Tawwater, in the huddle, in the game, and in prayer.

“They've come together, and it's one of those things they want to honor Zach,” said Coach Stringer. “We love him, we know he’s watching over us and watching over these guys, for sure.”

Bishop McGuiness' season opener is against Deer Creek at home on August 30.