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Thousands show up at Lely High School to honor the life of Ereck Plancher Watch »

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Lely’s Jeff Charelus slowly, reverently, puts on the Trojan football jersey number 5.

The team will be getting new jerseys just before the season starts on Aug. 19, but for now this is just fine with Charelus.

It is the jersey his cousin, Ereck Plancher, wore when he starred for Lely just two seasons ago.

Plancher died on March 18 during voluntary conditioning drills with the University of Central Florida football team. It was later determined that Plancher died due in part to sickle cell trait.

Instead of retiring the jersey number, the coaches decided to award the number to the player who best fit Plancher’s outstanding characteristics.

Right after his cousin’s death, Charelus offered to wear the number. “I know it is a lot of responsibility in wearing his number,” Charelus said in March. “He was a great person and did a lot here. I want to be that kind of person.”

When the coaches chose in late March to make it an honor to wear number five, Charelus understood.

“When they decided to give it to the player that most exemplified Ereck I thought it was a great idea,” Charelus said. “Ereck gave everything on the field, in the weight room, was a team leader, everyone wanted to be like him.”

After lengthy consideration the coaches agreed on Charelus.

“His character, work ethic, academics, citizenship, all the qualities Ereck possessed, are in Jeff,” Lely Coach Steve Pricer said. “The players understand the choice, they know how hard Jeff works.”

And to be named, Charelus said, “It’s wonderful. Being his cousin and part of the family, I will wear it in honor of Ereck. I love my cousin. I will do my best to live up to his example.”

Charelus caught three touchdown passes, making 23 catches for 365 yards, in 2007. Offensive Coordinator John Principe knows Charelus will do well this season.

“We are all very excited that Jeff will wear Ereck’s number,” Principe said. “He is a hard worker and has shown more than enough to wear the jersey. Being Ereck’s relative, I think it is exciting for Jeff and Ereck’s families. With a number of good pass receivers I think Jeff will do very well.”

A plaque, entitled “Ereck’s Place,” will be placed at the entry way where the players come through to go onto the football field. There are also memorabilia of Ereck’s that are displayed in Nation’s Square, near the school’s cafeteria.

Plancher was 19 when he died. He played running back and wide receiver at Lely through 2006 when he was named offensive MVP after gaining 1,027 total yards. He graduated high school a semester early, enrolling at UCF in January, 2007. He was red-shirted his first year.

The District 9 Medical Examiner’s office in Orlando issued its findings on July 15.

The report stated that Plancher’s death “was the result of dysrhythmia due to acute exertional rhabdomyolysis with sickle cell trait.”

Rhabdomyolysis is a fairly common consequence of exertion, causing muscle breakdown and day-after soreness.

But individuals with sickle cell trait — a condition that affects one in 12 African Americans — are at risk for explosive rhabdomyolysis, which can have damage the kidneys and heart.

In athletes with sickle cell who continue to exert themselves, as Plancher reportedly did on March 18, when red blood cells begin to sickle, or change shape, there is eventually a decreased flow of oxygenated blood to the heart, said Scott Anderson, head athletic trainer at the University of Oklahoma and co-chair of a National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) task force.

Sickle cell trait causes the red blood cells to sickle during periods of physical stress, Anderson said.

The NATA task force was formed to help reduce the risk of collapses during sports and exercise due to sickle cell trait.