Above: Shane Cornuet (Burrell, PA/Burrell), #60, wears his brothers number, #70
Article provided by Beaver County Times newspaper
By Bill Allman Times Sports Correspondent
After last week’s 42-3 loss to Thomas More, Geneva Football players filed into the auxiliary gym. All were upset. Some were angry at the outcome. Some had the black stare of disbelief. Others looked bewildered, as if the loss was the worst thing that had ever happened to them.
Sophomore Shane Cornuet, though, had a far different perspective. Cornuet played well, recording three tackles and one of only four tackles for loss by Geneva.
“It was a tough game, we made some mistakes,” said the defensive end from Burrell. “We just have to work on fixing them.”
It’s hard to say if Cornuet’s answer would have been as mature and philosophical on Aug. 5, but a lot has changed since then. On Aug. 6, his younger brother, Noah, died during football practice at Burrell High School, the result of a heart tumor no one knew he had.
“I had Pirates tickets for me and my dad, and we were on the way to PNC when we got the call that Noah had collapsed on the field,” Shane said. “We met my mom at the hospital, and the nurse said it didn’t look good. It wasn’t a blur at all. I remember everything that happened. The doctors and nurses did everything they could, but…
“Once they pronounced him dead, the whole Burrell coaching staff was there. The superintendent and principal were there. I had friends who came there. Word travels fast.”
Word reached the Geneva community as well, even though no football players had reported to camp yet.
“Guys from last year came down to the funeral home, and that meant a lot,” Cornuet said. “A teammate from last year who transferred our, Kyle McMillan, drove all the way from Michigan. Coach (Geno) DeMarco and his whole staff deserve to be commended for their support. I came to Geneva because I felt they treated me as more than just another number and I found out that was really true.
“The funeral was so big we couldn’t have it at the funeral home or the church. The school offered the high school but my parents chose to hold it at the middle school and I spoke. It was good to see the coaches there.”
After the funeral, though, Cornuet faced some tough decisions, decisions he never expected he would have to make.
“I know football didn’t kill my brother, but he did die on the football field,” Cornuet said. “I gave a lot of thought as to whether or not to play this year, but I knew my brother wouldn’t have wanted me to stop.
“The toughest part was leaving home to come here. Getting in the car and leaving my parents in the driveway was tough.”
Coming back to Geneva, though, brought some comfort to the 6-foot-2, 230 pound Cornuet, even though that took some time.
“Getting here, we have such a big freshman class of guys I hadn’t met, and they really didn’t know what to say at first,” Cornuet said. “We settled in and everyone has been great, not just on the football team but the whole campus.
“On the field, I do recognize it’s just a game but if I’ve learned anything, it’s not to take anything for granted. My focus has improved on the field and in the classroom. When I allow myself to daydream, my mind goes back.”
The intensified focus has been noticed by DeMarco as well.
“He’s such a great kid and a very good player,” DeMarco said. “He’s getting better too. To be honest, though, I’m stunned he’s here. Absolutely stunned.”
Cornuet went back to Burrell to see when Valley wore t-shirts with his brother’s No. 70. He was part of a balloon release. He say t-shirts with the slogan “Only the good die young.” His Geneva teammates put stickers on their helmets honoring Noah’s number.
“My brother was a good kid,” Cornuet said. “He’d put others at ease, and he’d talk to any strangers. Everyone was comfortable around him. He was bigger as a freshman than I am now, and my parents described him as a gentle giant. That’s how I’d like people to remember him – a gentle giant.”
Because everything Cornuet is doing to help that cause, it’s not likely the gentle giant will be forgotten. It’s also been cathartic for Cornuet.
“It helps me to talk about him.”
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