For the second time in 10 months, the St. Frances Academy community is mourning the death of a player from its nationally renowned football team.
Lamar Patterson, a junior, died Feb. 2 in a car crash, reportedly while driving to school. In April, Aaron Wilson, a 17-year-old senior, died of brain cancer.
The school implemented an “emergency response plan” after Patterson’s death, dismissing school early at 1 p.m. and canceling after-school activities Feb. 2. School staff also made counselors available to students.
“St. Frances is really one big family, and this is a tough day,” said Melissa D’Adamo, associate head of school. “We are doing our best to take care of each other. We have only 206 students and everyone knows everyone; so we’re here doing what we do – binding together and taking care of one another.”
The school, founded in 1828 and the oldest continually operating Black Catholic educational facility in the United States, attempted to return to its regular schedule the day after the tragedy.
“The members of our school community will react in different ways to this tragedy, so it will be important to have support available to assist all of those in need,” the school said in a statement. “While it is important to deal with grief, loss, anger and fear reactions, we believe it is essential to resume as normal a routine as possible regarding school activities.”
Patterson, a 5-foot-10, 182-pound cornerback and wide receiver, was rated as a three-star recruit nationally by online recruiting services. According to the website Rivals.com, he received a scholarship offer from Virginia Tech last week. He also had drawn interest from such college football powerhouses as Arizona State, Boston College, Michigan, Penn State, Tennessee and West Virginia.
St. Frances’ football program has drawn quite a bit of national attention in recent years, finishing as the No. 4-ranked team in the nation by USA Today in 2021. The Panthers completed an 8-1 season and were ranked No. 1 once again in the Baltimore area and in Maryland.
St. Frances has been forced to play mostly a national-level schedule the past four seasons after teams in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association refused to play the Panthers in 2018, citing safety and recruiting concerns.
In 2021, the Panthers’ football program was the subject of a four-part HBO documentary, “The Cost of Winning,” which showcased the program’s ability to lift many students out of impoverished lifestyles and mold well-educated Division I athletes.
Patterson transferred to St. Frances from Kissimmee, Fla., for his freshman year. Feb. 2 was a national signing day with high school football players from around the nation making their decisions on where to attend college.
Memorial services for Patterson are not yet finalized.
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