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Justin Owens set an example for Bonham

Posted 09.29.06 at 9:34 AM

By Casey Hill

The Justin Owens Scholarship is a big part of the Bonham High School. Justin (pictured) was a great-hearted kid with a loving family and a knack for playing football. In December of 2005 Justin died from leukemia, a blood cancer, and that day marks a time in the history of Bonham High School.

Justin was the type of person who has a big heart and thrives to achieve and make everything out of life he can. He was a hard-working kid and took school and sports very seriously. Every morning Justin would be at the football field house dressed and ready to play; he was the first person there and the last one to leave.

At the end of his freshman year of high school, Justin was diagnosed with cancer. He went through many surgeries to beat the cancer and be able to play football again.

Finally, in his junior year he was released to play football, but had to work at a pace he could stand. Not totally cured of the cancer, he was under close watch by his family, coaches and teammates. His first football season back with his team was a rough one, and midway into the season Justin got to play in his first game. He was really excited because he got to finish the football game with a touchdown pass.

When the season ended, Justin returned to school for several months. During the summer of his junior-to-senior year, Justin started getting sick again. He took several treatments to beat the cancer, but he only became worse.

He never got to play his senior year of football because of the cancer, but he was at every game to support his team mates and standing at the 50-yard line to break the Bonham Warriors down before every football game.

December came and Justin was getting worse. On Dec. 14 he passed away at the Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.

Justin was a great example of the perfect role model. Because he meant so much to the town of Bonham, organizations supply money to the scholarship that is awarded every year to a Bonham High School student athlete who resembles Justin on and off the field.

Casey Hill of Bonham, Texas, is a Paris Junior College freshman.

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