Class 2A football: De'aundre Carr stays focused on football despite mother's illness

Weber said no one could tell that Carr is dealing with such serious family issues by his performance on the field.

“He has been business as usual,” Weber said. “I think football has been a good distraction for him.”

Carr said playing football has helped him cope with the stress.

“It keeps your mind off of it,” he said. “It's good to get that out of my brain for a couple of hours. When we hit the field, we are all about business and winning football games.”

Carr is trying to become the third member of the family to get a state championship ring. His father, Aundre, played on Davis' 1990 state title squad. His uncle, J.J. James, played on the 1995 state championship team at Davis.

But the person in his family who wants the Wolves to win the 2012 title more than anybody is his mom.

“She is just a big fan of Davis football like everybody else is in this community,” Carr said. Schemaca has listened to Davis' playoff games on the radio since being hospitalized.

“My grandma tells me that every time she hears my name on the radio, she is always crying and saying that she wishes she could be there,” Carr said.

On Saturday night, Schemaca will be watching the state championship game on television from her hospital room.

“I just hope she ain't hooked up to no IVs, because if we win, she will probably jump out of the bed with joy,” Carr said.