LYNNFIELD — Five captains on the Lynnfield High School football team presented an honorary jersey to their biggest little fan.
Chase Austin, 6, has been a football fan since he was a toddler, said his grandmother Lynda Austin. He attends every Lynnfield home game and has grown to idolize one of the team’s captains, Cooper Marengi.
“Cooper was one of his camp counselors the summer before last, and he has gone above and beyond to be a big-brother type to him,” said Lynda.
The pair met two years ago at a summer camp at the senior center and Chase clung to Marengi.
Marengi and fellow captains Anthony Murphy, Nicholas Kinnon, Nate Drislane and William Collins surprised Chase at his home with a team jersey and a signed football after learning that the child’s mother, Kelly Austin, died unexpectedly 2½ years ago.
“He attended close to all of our football games and a handful of the hockey games last season, so we figured giving him a jersey with his name on the back was the least we could do,” Marengi said. “I’m honored to have Chase look up to me as a role model. I’ve always tried to be a good role model for my two younger brothers and having Chase look up to me makes me feel like I’ve done that correctly.”
Chase’s grandmother, who has custody of him, said the gesture meant the world to him.
The jersey holds a special meaning with the number 11, which in addition to being Marengi’s own number, is sacred because it represents divinity, rebirth, and the higher consciousness, said Lynda. It is also associated with angels, she said.
“He’s an only child so this really meant a lot to him,” she said. “We went to the game last week and Chase was invited up into the announcing booth. They were taking pictures and made him feel like a part of the team. They’re just nice people and, with Chase’s loss, so many people have stepped up to make him feel comfortable. These kids are just great role models.”
