Saukees demonstrate character in choosing not to play in regional, focus on grieving and healing together

PITTSFIELD, Ill. — Pikeland Superintendent Todd Fox was in the middle of addressing the Pittsfield girls basketball team Friday morning when the door to the classroom where they had gathered cracked open. 

In walked Lincoln McCartney with a simple request.

“I’m paraphrasing here, but she said something like, ‘Can I join this meeting?’” Fox said.

Through their shock and surprise, Fox and the other administrators welcomed her home.

McCartney was one of three Pittsfield student-athletes involved in a multi-vehicle crash Tuesday that took the life of Saukees freshman standout Reese Ramsey and forced McCartney and Deeghan Allen to be life-flighted to regional hospitals. 

McCartney was treated at Children’s Hospital in St. Louis and released Thursday. Allen remains hospitalized at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield.

With Pittsfield scheduled to be in school Friday for the first time since the accident — snow-packed roads forced the cancellation of classes Wednesday and Thursday — word circulated late Thursday that McCartney hoped to return to school.

“I remember looking at (assistant coach Sydney) Himmelman and saying, ‘What I know about Lincoln, if she has her mind set that she’s going to do it, there’s a high chance she’ll be at school,’” Pittsfield coach Noah Mendenhall said. 

Little did anyone expect she’d walk into a meeting where a decision on the future of the Saukees’ season was to be made.

“I was absolutely speechless,” Fox said.

Everyone seemed to be.

“There was a sense of being shocked and stunned,” Fox said.

Mendenhall found himself in awe of the moment.

“I had everything prepared that I wanted to talk about,” Mendenhall said. “Now, I’m kicking myself because I don’t remember what I said. I really don’t. When Lincoln walked in, everything I had planned left my head. When I started talking, my eyes got locked on Lincoln. She cracked a smile and had a tear rolling down her cheek.”

Tears were shed and shared throughout the meeting.

“One of the most powerful moments of the entire week,” Fox said. “One of the most powerful things I’ve experienced.”

McCartney’s presence helped the Saukees come to the right decision for themselves.

Scheduled to play in the semifinals of the Class 2A Williamsville Regional at 7:30 p.m. Monday, the third-seeded Saukees (24-4) chose to end their season and forfeit their spot in the regional pairings.

“I basically told them there is absolutely no right and wrong and we were going to 100 percent support what their decision would be,” Fox said. “And to be honest with you, I had the adults leave. And the players talked for a while. Then Coach Mendenhall and his assistant went in there. Five minutes later, they called us back in and said they weren’t going to play.”

Everyone was in full support of that decision.

“For them to have the strength to muster up the courage to say they didn’t want to play, for them to be able to do that, I’m over the top proud of them, over the moon proud of them.” Mendenhall said. “I told them they’ve made an impact on the community and on the program by what they’ve accomplished, and none of that is taken away whether you play in the regional game or not.

“Just to be able to make that decision through the situation that has happened, I can’t be any more proud of them. That’s such a grown up decision and such an important one that they handled with grace.”

The Saukees made the decision together, the same way they have grieved and mourned and supported each other.

“I have some really strong and resilient girls,” Mendenhall said. “They were together faster than I could try to get them together when the news broke. The togetherness they have has been inspiring. They’ve pretty much been together the whole week.

“I thank the parents for opening up their homes, for getting them places when the roads weren’t great. Just being together has been the strongest thing.”

It meant putting basketball and school on the backburner.

As Fox wrote in a Facebook post to the community, “This is part of what I sent our teachers this evening … ‘We talk about our philosophy being love first … teach second … in that order. Tomorrow and for days to come, our philosophy will be and needs to be love first … love second … just love.’”

Be it from the Pittsfield community or every community throughout the region, the outpouring of love and compassion has been awe-inspiring. Teams and fans wore red during games throughout the week, and collections were made to donate to the families facing medical costs.

“It’s unreal the reach that Reese had just by playing a game,” Mendenhall said. “And it’s a testament to the area we live how caring our communities are.”

And it’s a reminder how resilient and strong teenagers are when faced with tragedy.

“People should never doubt young people,” Fox said. “Sometimes we get old and we get crusted and we judge young people because they aren’t exactly how we were at that age, and then you go through moments like this. People should never doubt young people.

“Young people step up and show who they are in the biggest moments. Like I said in a Facebook post, never doubt young people.”