Rival Schools Unite in Memory of Football Captain

Credit: Danxoneil via Flickr

By Sharon Johnson 9-27-14

Winchester High School and rival Woburn High School came together over the weekend to honor Winchester football captain Patrick Gill, a senior who died in a car accident last week.

Thousands of people from Winchester, Woburn and surrounding neighborhoods gathered in Winchester High School’s stadium to pay their respects to the young football captain.

Hundreds of people at the gates bought T-shirts with Gill’s name and number. Woburn High School students joined in, raising almost $2,000 by also making T-shirts.

High school students, cheerleaders, children and adults wore Gill’s number 11 on their T-shirts, bows and other pieces of clothing. Winchester football players wore Gill’s initials on their helmets.

The Saturday football game featured a tribute to Gill. Before the game, Gill’s younger brother Brendan entered the field with the team in his brother’s place. He was wearing a white jersey with the number 11. The rest of Gill’s family also attended, as they watched the other Winchester captains carry a banner honoring their teammate. There was a moment of silence for Gill before the coin toss. Winchester and Woburn were even until the last quarter, when Woburn was able to score three touchdowns, giving the team a 34-14 win.

Despite the end score, thousands of people supported Winchester High School and Gill’s family in the loss of a young man who was so important to their community.

The contributions from Saturday’s game will be donated to the Winchester Sports Foundation in Patrick Gill’s name