Barry Faulkner
COSTA MESA -- On the most difficult day of his 28-year career, Costa
Mesa High Coach Dave Perkins stood before Mustang football players,
parents, students, coaches and administrators Saturday groping for words
of consolation to deliver to the inconsolable.
"There were a lot of red eyes, a lot of tears, a lot of kids who were
devastated," Perkins said of the morning on-campus meeting prompted by
the death of Mesa senior Matt Colby.
Colby, a 6-foot, 185-pound transfer from Estancia High, was taken off
a respirator Saturday at UCI Medical Center per his family's request. He
had been taken there after losing consciousness during the first quarter
of Friday's 53-12 nonleague Mesa victory over Ocean View at Westminster
High.
"I had no idea what I would say," Perkins said after the meeting, to
which no media were admitted. "I let the kids know Matt cared for them as
much as they cared for him. I told them we were a family."
It's a family in mourning, perhaps still too stunned to begin
discussing the memory of its quiet, yet affable defensive standout, who
made friends quickly after transferring from across town last summer.
"Even though Matt was at Costa Mesa for only a short time, he became a
huge part of our football program," said Perkins, who, like Colby and six
other Mesa players, wore Estancia red and gold last fall. "He was a
tremendous kid, who got right into (his teammates') heads and hearts.
Among those who made the move from Estancia to Costa Mesa before this
season is senior Mesa quarterback A.J. Perkins, the coach's son and
Colby's best friend.
"I've been fortunate enough to know Matt for four years," Dave Perkins
said. "His first year at Estancia, he bonded immediately with my son and
they became like brothers. (Colby) was quiet, but he had a great sense of
humor and he was a very mature kid.
"I gave Matt a ride to summer school every day last summer and he
talked about saving up $500 to buy a car. He would have been a very
productive young man, a tremendous family man, who would have been an
asset to his community."
Players and assistant coaches chose not to speak to reporters
Saturday, leaving Perkins, Principal Diana Carey and Athletic Director
Kirk Bauermeister to relay the events and emotional aftermath triggered
by Friday's opening kickoff.
Colby, apparently shaken but hardly devastated by a collision on
kickoff coverage, remained in the game for approximately 10 defensive
plays, spanning two Ocean View possessions. He left the game under his
