Every March, the school’s wrestling team sits down to have their end of season banquet. Among the awards being presented, members also vote for one senior wrestler to receive the Jared Corkran Teammate Award. The award is presented in memory of the teammate that they lost two years ago in an ATV accident. The recipient gets his name etched into a plaque in the school’s trophy case. According to his coaches, Corkran was someone who worked hard and a teammate who could always be counted on, so the award goes to the person who exhibits those traits the most.
“Jared was a good teammate, a good workout partner, and he definitely enjoyed the activity,” wrestling coach Michael Prado said. “Never got into any trouble, he was a good kid.”
Grappling sports like wrestling had always been a part of Corkran’s life. Since he was just 3 years old, Corkran was trained in Brazilian Jui-Jitsu under his father, Tery at North Texas Mixed Martial Arts. According to Tery, learning both Jui-Jisu and later boxing contributed to Jared’s charismatic personality.
“I think it had a big part of his self-confidence that he trained,” Tery said.
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The sweat hadn’t even dried on the mats. Sophomore Lucas Lovell had just finished his last match of the day and was joking with the rest of the wrestling team who had gathered around their coach. Lovell wiped his face with a towel and turned his attention to Prado as he broke the news that Jared had died.
“Jared?” Lovell thought.
Then it came flooding back. The one teammate that wasn’t at the meet. The one teammate who had left for his Arkansas ranch that weekend. The one who it now seemed had been in a fatal ATV accident. Jared Corkran. Suddenly, his performance on the mat faded from his mind. The whole team went silent.
“Everybody was just freaked out that somebody we were wrestling with died,” Lovell said. “He just won a varsity spot, so it was kind of weird thinking about it.”
Lovell and Jared had grown up in the same neighborhood. Twelve-year-old Jared had dreams of getting his master’s degree and becoming a video game designer. He also wanted to take over his father’s business. According to Tery, Jared was a truly nice kid. He never got angry at others, and always aimed to make peace rather than argue. He wasn’t one to make enemies and was loved by many.
“I never could ask God for a better son than Jared,” Tery said.
Once Lovell received the news about Corkran, he immediately called another neighbor of theirs, Steven Cornell, who had also grown up with them. Cornell experienced the same shock and disbelief Lovell did, initially thinking Lovell was joking. As the conversation continued, however, it quickly became clear that this was no joke.
“I never thought it would happen to anybody around me because I haven’t really had anyone close to me die,” Cornell said.
This realization of the frailty of life has impacted him throughout his high school career. Memories of heedless fun when they were younger came flooding back, and Cornell found himself recognizing how easily he could have found himself in a similar situation. He said he is grateful he was on good terms with his childhood friend.
“Don’t take anybody for granted,” Cornell said. “Always be nice and make sure the last thing you say to them that day or whenever is not a mean thing.”
Since his death, the wrestling team has made an effort to make sure that Jared’s memory is never forgotten. Throughout the year, a sponsorship from the North Texas Mixed Martial Arts on Corkran’s behalf is displayed on the wall in the Silver Gym. It remains there as a reminder of the hard working wrestler that Corkran was.
Although wrestling is a primarily individual sport, after Corkran’s passing, the team bonded together to support each other and the Corkran family.
“We always try to keep Jared in our memories and it brought our team together at that time to help his family,” Prado said.
Corkran would have been a senior this year. Despite the time that has elapsed since he passed away, the blur of emotions the team experienced has deeply impacted the remainder of their time in high school.
“Our heart always goes out to his family and his friends,” Prado said. “We all lose something when we lose somebody.”
