Matthew Carlson’s No. 20 jersey sits at the end of the bench in his memory. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
Matthew Carlson should have been on the jayvee basketball team at Spotswood High School this year, and would eventually have contributed to the Chargers’ baseball team as well this Spring. The sophomore was a great kid, a leader by example, and loved by his classmates and teammates.
Instead, they are all remembering him, a month after his tragic death in an ATV accident in Georgia.
According to published reports in numerous media outlets, the 16-year-old sophomore was in an ATV while on a family vacation in Georgia over Thanksgiving break when it crashed, and he was thrown from the vehicle the night before Thanksgiving. He was pronounced dead early Thanksgiving morning at a local hospital.
The news stunned the Spotswood community as word reached New Jersey.
The basketball team is remembering him by placing his jersey on a chair at home games this season, and with a message in the corner of their whiteboard in the boys’ locker room.
We talked to basketball coach Steve Mate and baseball coach Glenny Fredricks for their memories and recollections of Matthew Carlson.
Click below to listen:
Thank you to both coaches for keeping my nephew Matthew in your hearts. Alex Adams, #20 forever!
God bless him!
Matthew was my nephew, thank you to the coaches and his teammates for keeping his legacy alive. He loved playing baseball since he was 5 years old. He was hoping that someday he would play professionally. Not because he was my nephew, but he was a great ball player and I could have seen him going professional. Rest in Peace Matthew! You are loved by so many! #Chargers #20
Spotswood alum here, too. God bless him. -Mike (P.S. To save the audio to a PC, right click and choose Save As.)