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Football tournament to be held in honor of Pharr boy killed in crash

Football tournament to be held in honor of Pharr boy killed in crash
3 weeks 2 days 17 hours ago Thursday, May 23 2024 May 23, 2024 May 23, 2024 11:07 AM May 23, 2024 in News - Local

Several Rio Grande Valley football teams will be paying tribute to an 8-year-old boy from Pharr who was killed in April.

Caleb Ramirez was riding his bike near his home on East Eller Avenue when he was hit by a car, according to the Pharr police Department. The driver involved in the accident is not facing any charges and the investigation is ongoing.

"We're all parents in the football community. So it hit really, really close to home because that could have easily been one of ours and that's a scary thought," football mom Jennifer Garza said.

Caleb loved football and had been part of the football community since he was little.

Garza is a football mom, and she has known the family and Caleb for years.

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"He was amazing. He was so energetic, he was always smiling, he loved following his brothers, he loved following Esteban, he was always trying to be like his brothers, he wanted to play football, and he did, and he was an excellent football player," Garza said.

She says when she heard the news, she was heartbroken. So she came up with the idea to organize a football tournament in his honor

"I think it's very important that we remember Caleb and that we do something in his honor," Garza said.

READ MORE: Mother of child killed in Pharr while riding his bike speaks out

"We as a family, his brothers, we feel honored, privileged that the football community came together and decided to do these events in honor of Caleb," Caleb's mom, Sonia Hernandez said.

Hernandez says they received a lot of support from the football community after the accident. She says Caleb was born into a football family.

"He saw it in the family, he saw it in his two older brothers that they would play around with him, they would teach him. We would play at the park, outside," Hernandez said. "He looked up to his brother Esteban who also played with the Wildcats and Esteban, they called him Mighty Mouse when Caleb started playing football, he wanted to be number 10 like his older brother."

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Hernandez says Caleb's dad coached his football team and before every game Caleb and his dad would share a football chant.

"At the hospital, when they pronounced him dead, we were in the room saying our last goodbyes and his brothers were there with us, we picked up his hand and that was our last goodbye, Mavericks on me, Mavericks on three," Hernandez said.

This weekend, over 40 teams from the Rio Grande Valley, and even Laredo and Corpus Christi, will be competing in a football tournament on the football field at the La Villa High School, located at 200 TX-107.

The two-day event starts on Saturday, May 25 and ends on Sunday, May 26.  To participate, call 956-342-4858, 956-225-9669, 956-475-2041, or 956-586-8492.

All money raised will go to help Caleb's family.

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