LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Lakota East senior wide receiver Zion Neal feels his late stepfather's presence during every game this season.
Before Neal steps onto the field, he touches Raphael Hill's obituary in his locker. It's not Neal's only reminder of Hill, who died Aug. 10.
"I got a necklace; I got his ashes on here with me," Neal said. "So I wear that at all times. I play (in games) with it. It means a lot because I know he's still here with me."
Their bond was significant.
Neal, 15, and Hill, 39, seemed to be inseparable. They connected over sports. They enjoyed playing Minecraft together. Their March birthdays were one day apart.
"He used to always text me after the games and be like: 'You did your thing out there, 'Z'; just keep going," Neal said. "'You got something for you coming.' Having him text me that after every game was a blessing even if he wasn't there. He was always complimenting me."
Those text messages gave Neal confidence to take his game to the next level. Football connected them. It's why Neal struggled to play immediately after his stepfather's death.
"If I feel like I'm not myself I just hold the necklace," Neal said.
It's also why on occasion Neal will go outside to "look at the sky and start having a conversation with him."
Despite the difficult circumstances, Neal discovered strength in his renewed passion for the game and the love from his Lakota East coaches and teammates.
"With them being there for me, it really is like a collective thing," Neal said. "Not having just one person - it's like everybody - so I ain't just by myself."
Lakota East coach Jon Kitna, a former longtime NFL quarterback, wouldn't allow Neal to be alone. Kitna knows Neal's family has persevered through an "unspeakable" adversity.
Kitna, his son, junior quarterback JT Kitna, and other players and assistant coaches wanted Neal to know they would be there for him beyond football, too.
"I think the biggest thing is how he received the love that we have for him," Jon Kitna said. "Sometimes people - they deal with tragedy differently. But, his response all along was to really receive it and let us love on him however we could. Sometimes that was leaving him alone. He's done a fantastic job for us all year. But, since the tragedy - being there for his mom, being there for his brothers, being there for his family."
Sophomore running back Ryder Hooks and JT Kitna have been like brothers to Neal. Their bond has strengthened with Neal throughout the season.
"With his dad passing, I'm just even more trying to support him any way I can, anything he needs," JT Kitna said of Neal. "If he needs a place to sleep, a ride to school, whatever I'm there."
Neal is inspired by that support. It's evident in how he's played on Friday nights.
He has earned 336 yards receiving this season - the third-most receiving yards in the Greater Miami Conference entering Friday's game at Sycamore.
Neal statistics included 18 receptions and 240 yards receiving the first two games in August. He caught a 43-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter at Centerville just eight days after his stepfather's death.
The Lakota East football team was at his side all along.
"They help me a lot," Neal said. "They keep my head up. So I'm not really an emotional person so I don't really like talking about things. Me not telling them and them still being there for me - I love that."
Jon Kitna is impressed by Neal's football IQ including his route running and his ability to improve on a daily basis. He sees a good deal of potential for Neal the next two seasons.
"He's the kind of kid you want to coach all the time," Kitna said. "One of those kids that when he graduates as a senior - it's one that you feel a void left inside of you because that's the kind of kid you want."
Neal has already received college interest and visited multiple programs prior to the season, including having a conversation with University of Colorado coach Deion Sanders at a camp in late May.
Sanders asked Neal why he jumped to make a catch near the sideline. Neal said he always wants to attack the football in the air and the Pro Football Hall of Famer was impressed by the answer.
"Having 'Coach Prime' - he pointed out some things that I should work on and people I should go train with," Neal said. "Hopefully I can get an offer from there sooner or later. Having 'Coach Prime' as a role model - I used to watch him growing up. Even though I didn't get to physically watch him, he's my favorite corner. I watched his highlights and I was like, 'I want to be like him one day.'"
Neal's ultimate goal is to play in the NFL one day.
But, the focus is this season as he's working to help the Thunderhawks toward the final weeks of the regular season. He knows the support of family and football is never far away.
"I cherish the energy," Neal said. "I just go out there and if I feel like somebody is in my way I just get them out of the way and just start going harder. So it's like I'm not going to let anybody stop me because now I've really got something to prove."
