Lacrosse team honors, remembers teammate

They came from near and far on July 16 to honor the 16-year-old who wore the number 16 on the lacrosse field and lived his life by John 3:16. An estimated audience of 2,000 poured onto the Dripping Spring High School lacrosse field to celebrate the life of Taden Frickel. Taden passed away on July 3.

Frickel was a highly touted lacrosse player and the lacrosse community showed up in droves. A former DSHS teammate flew in from Los Angeles just for the evening. The president and staff members from his club team UNRL made their way to town from their headquarters in Minnesota to show respect for a kid that had only played with them one season due to an ACL tear he suffered in March.

Club President, Cory Childs said, “We wouldn’t have missed this for the World.” Texas High School Lacrosse (THSLL), the governing body for Texas high school lacrosse had representation in attendance. Bitter rivals on the field, Georgetown, sent their club president, coach and players. Westwood, Lake Travis, and former professional lacrosse player Luke Duprey were in attendance. Mike Ormsby, THSLL President, had this to say, “The entire lacrosse community mourns with the Frickels and this fine young man.”

It was not just lacrosse that showed up in big numbers. A friend from little league baseball that moved to Phoenix made his way back to honor Taden. The DSHS Lady Tigers soccer team wore hats with the number sixteen. Basketball jerseys with 16 were seen in the crowd. Drip Baseball was out in full force, donned in every number 16 jersey that they could find to show support for Taden, and his older brother Brennan. Brennan, a 2021 DSHS graduate, is headed to the University of Houston on a baseball scholarship.

Head lacrosse coach Bill Cafferata kicked off the celebration with the team’s traditional pregame entrance. Current players and alumni jogged onto the field with the US and Texas flags on poles made from Taden’s lacrosse sticks. Then they did 16 sets of jumping jacks to honor their mate.

Taden’s father, Chris, was the first speaker of the evening. He spoke at length about a music playlist Taden had compiled titled “Dis is worship.” It was five and a half hours long and “it was the best medicine for what the family was going through.” He went on to say, “It showed a depth of Taden that I didn’t even know.”

Brock Stamps, Campus Pastor Life Dripping Springs, talked about how Taden was “a bridge builder and how he loved to bring people together.” He was “faith on fire” and “unapologetically authentic.”

Then, mother Amie Frickel stepped up to the podium. She talked about choosing the name Taden due its tie to their Cherokee bloodline. The name Taden means plentiful. “With his passing we learned that plentiful meant abundant love,” she said. “He had a warm and energetic, warrior spirit. He would light up the sidelines and teammates. He would light up friend groups. He loved to bring joy.”

Brother Brenan, only 18 years old himself, took the mic and delivered a tribute that would have left professional speakers in awe. He said Taden was the best part of him and their mantra for 2021 was “Retreat is not an option.” He wove in bible verses and glowed in spirit. Ending with, “he was not 16 years old. He was not 16 years young. He was 16 years full.”

Coach Cafferata ended the night the way it was started – with a Tiger Lacrosse tradition. At the end of a game, the team forms a giant circle, arms over shoulders. He had the massive crowd do the same. The circle would cover the entire football field. Then on the count of one, he encouraged everyone to yell “Wolfpack.”