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When Francisco Zendejas arrived at Anzar High School, Mason Gomes was his first friend, and he joined this year’s football team intending to play alongside him.
Instead, on Nov. 7, Zendejas and the team will take the field in the inaugural Mason Bowl, an intra-squad scrimmage, being held in Gomes’ honor following his death when his motorbike hit a parked trailer on July 3.
“I was going through a rough patch,” Zendejas said, “and I thought I was not going to make friends. But once he started talking to me, I felt like I was at home. He was a happy guy and always smiled, even on a bad day. He would always look at the bright side.”
The game will offer a moment of closure for a team that rushed to the hospital after the accident and held vigil until Mason Gomes was pronounced dead.
“They were all supportive,” Gomes’ mother Jennifer Gomes said. “Even their parents came to the hospital. It was very overwhelming, but a blessing. I was very surprised because we never thought that the community or even the football team would give us that much support.”
In the weeks that followed, the players spent their days at the Gomes home, supporting the family.
“They kept coming over,” Jennifer Gomes said. “They would bring us food and spend time with his twin brother, Landon. It was heartfelt and meant everything to us. It helped us cope with our grief.”
Anzar head football coach Rudy Abeyta said that Mason Gomes’ death came as an immediate shock to the team, which never would have expected or been prepared to lose someone their own age.
“I was really proud and impressed with the boys,” Abeyta said. “We’re a small team, but we’re very close. They all stepped up and naturally knew what they needed to do. They rallied around Landon and the family, showing as much support as possible.”
Teammate Xavier Gutierrez said that the team has come to think of the Gomeses as a second family.
“We’ve definitely bonded a lot,” he said. “I’ve seen them basically every day now, and it is always good to be around them. I’ve learned how tragedy always brings people together.”
According to Jennifer Gomes, Anzar principal Shamoon Ebrahimi was the first to suggest holding a memorial game for Mason Gomes.
“He said some of the teachers and Rudy were thinking about it,” she said. “They wanted to retire his number and celebrate Mason’s life, just remembering the good times we had with him. He said it would mean so much to the team, and I was very happy about that.”
For her, those memories include Mason riding his dirt bike, fishing, camping, spending time with his family and brightening the lives of those around him.
“He was a very loving child,” Jennifer said. “He would always give us a kiss and a hug wherever he would go. His nickname was ‘Smiley,’ and even when the coach said, ‘This is a time to be serious,’ Mason would be laughing and be joyful. He would never be mad.”
Gutierrez described Mason Gomes as a great, skilled player and, like his mother, remembers him as someone who never seemed to take anything to heart.
“During conditioning,” he said, “he was always cheering us up, making jokes, and just laughing the whole time. I want us to not be too sad and look on the bright side, that at least he was with us, at least we got to know him.”
As a sign of respect for Mason Gomes, the team dedicated every game this season to his memory, which Abeyta said inspired them to achieve the best football season in Anzar’s history, finishing 4-1 in the league, including a win by forfeit against Pinewood High School.
“We ended up 5-3 this year,” he said. “The team was very motivated for Mason, and they put up a good fight this year. There was a different fire in the team that I’d never seen before.”
Zendejas said every team member approached the games prepared and with their minds set on their fallen friend.
“Every single time we warmed up, Coach would always remind us, ‘We’re not playing just to play,” Zendejas said. “We’re not playing like if we lose, we’re just gonna move on. We’re playing for our brother Mason.”
Plans to bring in visiting players for the game fell through because of league restrictions, so the first Mason Bowl will have teammates playing each other in full pads for two quarters, followed by a family-and-friends flag football game.
“I definitely want to make this an annual senior showcase,” Abeyta said. “A lot of the eight-man football teams don’t have any kind of coverage. I want the kids out here to get the exposure they’re going to need to apply to colleges and hopefully get scholarships.”
As part of the memorial, Mason Gomes’ jersey will be retired during a halftime presentation with his family present.
“I want people to remember Mason as a type of kid that always showed up when he said he would,” Abeyta said, “and who always did his best to make sure people were happy around him. I want us to recognize the person Mason was, and show respect to him and his family.”
The Mason Bowl will be held at 2 p.m. on Nov. 7 at Anzar High School, 2000 San Juan Hwy, San Juan Bautista. Admission is free.
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