Prep football: Twelve Bridges and Wheatland come together to honor sister of player

Friday night at Wheatland High School was homecoming — a night to celebrate the school, football team and community.

It turned out to be much more than that. Wheatland changed its homecoming theme to honor Maddie Ochoa, a 19-year-old girl fighting Leukemia. Her kid brother, Nick, is a junior lineman on the Twelve Bridges football squad.

Both teams wore orange socks during the game, a color that represents the fight against Leukemia. An orange ribbon was painted on the field and Maddie was honored during the coin toss and during the homecoming floats.

Both teams came together after the 28-8 win for Twelve Bridges to take a group photo.

“One of the most amazing nights I’ve ever been a part of as a coach,” Twelve Bridges coach Chris Bean said. “It was so much bigger than a game. Wheatland was nothing but class in helping us honor Maddie. I feel so honored to be the coach of these young men and a member of this community.”

This story was originally published September 16, 2022 at 11:11 PM.