Community gathers to pay tribute to Farrington's Ortiz


 



KALIHI — More than 1,000 people gathered at Farrington High School's Kusonoki Field Monday evening to pay tribute to one of their own.

Dayne Ortiz, a senior and cornerback on the Governors' football team, was remembered and honored through stories, prayer, song and lots of hugs and tears by family, friends, classmates, alumni, community members and even past opponents on the gridiron.

Late Saturday afternoon — less than 24 hours after Farrington played for the Oahu Interscholastic Association Red championship at Aloha Stadium — Ortiz, 18, was fishing with his family near Mokuleia Beach on the North Shore of Oahu. When his fishing line got stuck, Ortiz took a kayak out to attempt to free the line. However, amid rough conditions, Ortiz's kayak overturned and he has been missing ever since. He was not wearing a life jacket.

Later that day his unmanned kayak was found and on Sunday, two small pieces of his black board shorts that he was wearing washed ashore. The Coast Guard, along with the Honolulu Fire Department, City and County lifeguards and the Department of Land and Natural Resources, searched more than 720 square miles Saturday and Sunday, but the Coast Guard called off its search late Sunday night.

Farrington football coach Randall Okimoto had the tough task of helping his team comes to terms with the fact that Ortiz would not be coming home.

"As soon as we found out that they found some pieces of his shorts, that was an indication of the circumstances of what happened," Okimoto said. "Also Dayne's dad, actually (Monday) he kind of mentioned that he accepted the fact that he may not be coming back, so once the parents kind of gave that OK, so to speak, then we could actually mention it and talk to the boys about it."

At the vigil Monday — which was called "Gov love for Dayne Ortiz" — Okimoto, as well as school principal Al Carganilla and one of Ortiz's teammates, senior Manly "Pumba" Williams, addressed the large gathering.

"During times like these, we always ask why," Carganilla said. "I want us to focus on all the positives — all the good things that Dayne has done for the school, for the community, done for his family — and if you look around, just the support that we have is amazing, so I want to really focus on that.

Okimoto spoke about how Ortiz was an avid waterman, who loved to fish and dive and one day hoped to move to the North shore.

"We know this, that he wrote something in his journal that he wanted to take over dad's business and move to that side of the island," Okimoto said. "That was his goal and he wanted to fish and dive, so when I heard that today, it gave me comfort knowing that he was taken from us doing something that he loved doing."

Williams remembered Ortiz as the guy with the million-dollar smile and a hard worker on the football field.

"He had a smile that would brighten up the day — he was one of my good friends," Williams said. "Every day I would look in that parking lot and I would see that white truck parked and I knew Dayne was here at practice. Then that one Saturday practice I looked and his truck wasn't there — it was the first practice Dayne ever missed."

Williams, a senior and a captain for the Govs, had a strong message for those gathered to remember Ortiz.

"Who would ever know that you'll be with your friend the night before and the next day he would be gone?," Williams said. "So I want everyone to cherish the moments that we have and live life to the fullest, because you never know when your day will come. We know that our brother is up in heaven now, looking down on us and smiling upon us."

Carganilla acknowledged several other high schools that held lunch-time prayer circles Monday, which included Aiea, Kaimuki, Kahuku, Moanalua, Punahou and Dole Middle School. Mililani — Farrington's opponent in the league championship game Friday night — brought its entire team, along with coaching staff on two buses.

"I went and asked (Mililani Athletic Director Glenn) Nitta for the two buses and once he OK'd it, we were definitely going to come out here for this event — everybody is in full support and we're not here for the show, we just want to show full support for the Ortiz family and Farrington High School," said Trojans' coach Rod York, who echoed Williams' sentiment. "We just played against them Friday and watching the news, it just hit home for some of the boys and we all just have to enjoy life more, because you never know when things happen."

Okimoto, whose team will play Baldwin on Maui Friday in a first-round Division I state tournament game, said he hopes Monday's vigil brought a sense of closure to his players.

"Having a ceremony like this is so important to get any feelings out that guys might be hiding from within," Okimoto said. "The grieving process can begin and we just have to fight through it. Our team lost a brother and their family lost a son and a good kid."

Surely, the Govs will take the field at War Memorial Stadium with heavy hearts, but Okimoto sees the game as a chance to play for Ortiz.

"We have an opportunity to honor him this week in whatever we do, so we want to take advantage of that opportunity this Friday night," Okimoto said.



Reach Kalani Takase at [email protected].




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