High school baseball coach dies at 26
Stafford High teacher collapses playing paintball
The 26-year-old baseball coach for Stafford High School died suddenly Friday after he collapsed following a game of paintball with friends and family, leaving his longtime community sad and shocked.
Several attempts were made to revive Michael Mesa , whose cause of death remains unknown.
“It ’s just unexplained,” Stafford football coach and athletics director Ron Counter said. “He’s a great young man, and a great role model for the kids since he grew up in the community. It’s just a very, very said day for Stafford.”
Mesa, who was one of the youngest head coaches in the state, had just completed his second season at the helm, but he was far from new to the high school. He grew up in the school district and gradu-
ated from the high school in 2008; in his senior year, he was an all-district catcher.
“He lived and breathed Stafford and baseball,” said Gracie Martinez, a close family friend who stayed in touch with Mesa after middle school and went to college with his fiancée, Laura Nguyen.
Angel Maldonado has seen Mesa almost every day for most of his life. The two grew up together at Stafford, and, while they attended separate colleges, they found their way back to the high school as assistant coaches and Spanish teachers. They had sideby-side lockers and nearby classrooms.
“Every student knew him,” Maldonado said. “People are hurting. The whole community is hurting. He’s going to be missed greatly.”
Mesa made a habit of speaking to Maldonado about his passions. He loved salsa and reggaeton, he cherished his Latino heritage — but most of all, Maldonado said, Mesa lived for his parents, Raul and Beatriz Rojas Momtes.
Juan Mesa, Michael’s cousin and the godfather of Michael’s 2-year-old son Leandro, felt this intense love for his family.
“He’d give you the shirt off his back in a second,” Juan Mesa said. “He made an impact on every person he came in contact with. His smile just lit up the whole room.”
Earlier this week, Mesa had come into Maldonado’s room to speak about his dreams and “choosing the right path,” Maldonado said. Then, before passing Mesa’s classroom to leave town for a track-and-field competition this weekend, Maldonado felt like he needed to say goodbye.
Then, in the middle of the night, Maldonado got the call.
“I couldn’t believe it. I was just talking to him about all the things we were accomplishing,” Maldonado said.
In a statement from the Stafford Municipal School District, Superintendent Robert Bostic lamented the community’s loss.
“Michael Mesa was one of the most respected teachers and coaches on campus, and in the community,” Bostic said. “We are going to miss the leadership, dedication and positive attitude that he brought. ... Our thoughts and prayers are with the Mesa family, as well as the hundreds of students, colleagues and community members who were fortunate enough to consider Michael a mentor or friend.”
In 2008, Mesa went to play baseball at Huston-Tillotson University in Austin. There, he studied kinesiology and joined Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity .
“He was one of those people that, everything he did, he did them well,” said Edward Baray, a friend from Mesa’s fraternity. “He lived with purpose — that was of those big things about him.”
Baray, a soon-to-be graduate of the University of Texas, had a conversation over text messages with Mesa on Thursday night about working and getting jobs — as was usual with Mesa, who Baray said was like both a mentor and brother. The next evening, around 11 p.m., he received a call about Mesa’s death.
Baray had been about to send him an invitation to his graduation.
“I was just heartbroken,” Baray said. “It’s crazy, because you wouldn’t expect something like this to happen all of the sudden to someone like that.”
A candlelight vigil organized by Mesa’s players will be held at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Stafford baseball field. Funeral arrangements are pending.