Germantown HS football game honors former star player who unexpectedly passed away

Joe Lemerond

GERMANTOWN -- On a night all about the kickoff to another high school football season, a group of family and friends in Germantown honored No. 21.

"Everybody just gravitated towards him. He was really just a big ball of energy and people couldn't stay away from that," said Johnny Kohlbeck, friend of Joe.

Joe Lemerond played football at Germantown High School from 2011 to 2014. He passed away unexpectedly on Monday, Aug. 19.

Remembering Joe Lemerond

Remembering Joe Lemerond

On Friday night, Aug. 23 family and friends honored his name with a moment of silence and special t-shirts complete with his name and number.

"In a town like Germantown, it's really a family mentality especially being apart of the football team like he was. A player, a friend, he was everything. He was a legend at this school. He was prom queen, he was the star running back," said Kohlbeck. "It was really special to have everybody rally around him."

Joe Lemerond

A bible verse on the t-shirts reads:

The verse is the same verse Joe had on his t-shirt when he worked out and warmed up in.

Remembering Joe Lemerond

While Joe will be remembered for some of his high school records in football, including the longest touchdown run, he'll be remembered for so much more and the impact he had on many.

"You could go up to Joe and he could have a million things going on, but if he could tell something was wrong, he would stop and talk to you about it and make sure you were OK -- before him. He was selfless," said Nathan Birch, friend of Joe.