Port St. Joe mourns the loss of star football player

WTAJ NEWS THIS WEEKEND AT 10. GOOD EVENING. I'M ERIN VICTIM. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TONIGHT. A COMMUNITY IS MOURNING THE LOSS OF ONE OF THEIR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYERS WHO COLLAPSED AND DIED DURING LAST NIGHT'S GAME. >> PORT SAINT JOE IN FLORIDA LOST STAR FOOTBALL PLAYER. CHANCE GAYNOR WHO COLLAPSED DURING HIS TEAM'S GAME AGAINST LIBERTY COUNTY, FRIENDS AND FAMILY GATHERED TO HONOR HIS LIFE TODAY SAYING CHANCE EMBODIED WITH THE TIGER SHARKS FOOTBALL PROGRAM IS ALL ABOUT A REMARKABLE ATHLETE, TOUGH, HUMBLE AND ABOVE ALL, A GREAT YOUNG MAN WHO CARED FOR HIS TEAMMATES. KALEY TANGLES HAS THE STORY. >> ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6TH PORT SAINT JOE WAS ON THE ROAD PLAYING THE LIBERTY COUNTY FOOTBALL TEAM WITH JUST ABOUT 4 MINUTES REMAINING IN THE 2ND QUARTER, GAINER SUDDENLY COLLAPSED FROM THERE. HE WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE CALHOUN LIBERTY HOSPITAL WHERE HE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD. >> EVERY DAY WALKING A LOCKER ROOM. YOUR OWN LOOK AT A LOCKER. GOING TO BE EMPTY. YOU GO BACK AND WATCH GAME FILM. AND YOU KNOW, FOR HOWEVER, LONG HAVE FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND HIS JUNIOR YEAR GATOR EMERGED AS THE SHARKS STAR PLAYER A BREAKOUT SEASON THAT FOLLOWED A COUPLE YEARS OF NO RAW POTENTIAL AND FIERY PERSONALITY FROM THOSE GAMES OF NOT KNOWING. >> GOING 15 YARDER. IS HE GOING TO, YOU SAY SOME IS GOING CELEBRATE TOO MUCH IS BECAUSE KNEW HE WAS THE SUMMER BEFORE THE 2023 FOOTBALL SEASON. TRAGEDY STRUCK PORT SAINT JOE. >> WHEN 2 OF GAINERS TEAMMATES IN LIFELONG FRIENDS, TJ JENKINS AND ANDREW SHEPHERD PASSED AWAY IN A CAR ACCIDENT, GAINER DEDICATED HIS JUNIOR SEASON TO HIS BEST FRIENDS. >> AND FROM THERE, THE REST IS HISTORY. >> A WEEK FOR 5 LAST YEAR. >> IT'S ALL FALLING REALIZE PRETTY GOOD AT THIS GAME. I CAN MAKE THINGS HAPPEN YOU KNOW, I CAN DETERMINE OUTCOME GAMES. HE EMERGED AS A JACK OF ALL TRADES SCORING IN EVERY WAY, OFTEN SIMPLY DEFENSIVELY ON SPECIAL TEAMS TO BE ONE OF THE GUYS YOU WATCH COURT UP AND GO. >> AS BEST CHANCE GAYNOR I WAS CHANGING. >> HE COULD THROW. YOU CAN RUIN YOU. CAN YOU KNOW, PART RETURN GET RETURNS. DIDN'T MATTER. HALFBACK PASS IS PROBABLY HAD 3 OR 4 TOUCHDOWN PASSES LAST YEAR DOING IT WHILE IT WAS ALMOST A GUARANTEE THAT IF GAINER HAD THE BALL, THE SHARKS WOULD MANAGE TO SCORE. >> HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE ALL OF HIS TEAMMATES HAD ENOUGH TOUCHES TO FILL THEIR HIGHLIGHT REAL. BUT HE WOULD ALWAYS BE READY WHEN HIS TALENTS WERE NEEDED. BUT HE WOULD DO IS HE CAN STAND BY ME ONCE A WORD IN A STAND BY ME. >> THAT WAS WHERE HE LOOK AT WAS ON THE FIELD. HE JUST KIND OF STEER. I MEAN, I KNEW THAT WAS HIS WAY OF SAYING GIVE ME THE BALL. BUT HE WOULD NEVER YOU WASN'T, YOU KNOW, BOASTFUL ABOUT ANY OF IT. HE JUST KIND OF GUY. I'M HERE. IF YOU NEED ME, LET ME KNOW. WE WANT ME TO MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN. SOME OF THE WORDS USED TO DESCRIBE CHANCE ARE GENUINE AND QUIET. A SOFT-SPOKEN INDIVIDUAL. >> BUT THE ULTIMATE SENIOR LEADER FOR HIS TEAM YOUR KIDS GOT TO SEE. YOU KNOW, THE LEADERS ARE ALWAYS BUCKLE. SOMETIMES THIS BY ACTIONS AND CHANCES. ACTIONS. >> AND BECAUSE OF WHO HE WAS AND WHAT HE DID IN THE CLASSROOM ON FRIDAY NIGHTS OR EVEN ON THE BASKETBALL COURT. THE PORT SAINT JOE COMMUNITY IS MOURNING YET ANOTHER LOSS OF A RISING STAR. >> ISRAELI AND ILLION GROUP OF KIDS WITH RESILIENT PARENTS. RESILIENT COMMUNITY BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN THROUGH SOME SOME STUFF RECENT YEARS AND THEY STICK TOGETHER AND MEAN, WOULD I DON'T KNOW WHAT WORDS CAUSE. I'M AMAZED EVERY DAY THAT WHAT THIS COMMUNITY IS CAPABLE OF DOING. >> GAINERS IMPACT REACHES BEYOND THE 3 MILE GOAL FRONTSTRETCH OF PORT SAINT JOE. HE'S REMEMBERED BY THE ENTIRE PANHANDLE AND STATE OF FLORIDA. THE ULTIMATE TEAMMATE, FRIEND, BROTHER, AND TIGER SHARKS WHO SPENT HIS FINAL MOMENTS WEARING PURPLE AND GOLD. >> PORT >> SAINT JOE SCHOOLS WILL RETURN TO SCHOOL ON MONDAY. THERE WILL BE MULTIPLE GRIEF COUNSELORS FOR STUDENTS TO VISIT WITH TUESDAY WILL BE A HALF-DAY AND LUNCH WILL BE PROVIDED TO THE FOOTBALL TEAM IN GULF COUNTY. SUPERINTENDENT JIM NORTON IS INVITING OTHER TEAMS FROM AROUND THE AREA TO JOIN THE TIGER SHARKS GAME ON FRIDAY NIGHT AGAINST WANTS TOWN HAS BEEN POSTPONED. AND HEAD COACH TANNER JONES IS LETTING HIS TEAM DECIDE WHAT THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON WILL LOOK LIKE. AND IF THEY WANT TO CONTINUE. THE SUDDEN DEATH OF GAINER MARKS THE 3RD HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYER TO DIE WHILE PLAYING FOOTBALL OVER THE LAST MONTH. THE FIRST WAS NEW BROCKTON HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN. SOMEBODY WILL HE HAD A MEDICAL EMERGENCY AT FOOTBALL PRACTICE AND COLLAPSED LATER DYING ENTERPRISE MEDICAL CENTER. HIS CAUSE OF DEATH IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION AND FOLLOWING HIS DEATH, THE SCHOOL GATHERED AT THE FOOTBALL FIELD TO HONOR AND CELEBRATE HIS LIFE, CALLING HIM AS ONE OF THE MOST CARING AND OUTGOING PEOPLE. THEY'VE NEVER MET. WHO HAD DREAMS OF PLAYING PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL. THE TEAM IS CURRENTLY DEDICATING THEIR SEASON. WILKINS. THE OTHER WAS MORGAN ACADEMY JUNIOR QUARTERBACK CADEN TELLIER. HE SUSTAINED A CRITICAL BRAIN INJURY DURING HIS TEAM'S FIRST GAME AGAINST SOUTHERN ACADEMY. HE WAS TAKEN CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, BIRMINGHAM FOR TREATMENT. BUT FAMILY LATER BROKE THE NEWS THAT HE HAD PASSED AWAY SAYING, QUOTE, EVERYONE WHO KNOWS KAYDEN HAD KNOWN KINDNESS, GENEROSITY AND LOVE AND TRUE TO HIS NATURE. HE'S GIVING OF HIMSELF ONE MORE TIME AND QUOTE, FALL IN THE INCIDENT. MORGAN