“There was no second-guessing,” Clement said. “The only thing I wanted to do was play.”
Shaheed Clement. Meet the players from Bishop McDevitt’s football team playing in the PIAA 5A championship game. December 3, 2024. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comShaheed Clement woke up in his family’ Harrisburg home at 4 a.
m. to a din of noise. A dog barking. Police officers chatting.children, walked to the door. Perhaps it was just intuition, but he knew he had to lead the household. What ensued next turned Clement’s life upside-down: police informed him his father, Eliot, had died in a car accident,His car engulfed in flames. Clement was pronounced dead at the scene. And all of a sudden, postseason high school football became the last order of concern for Bishop McDevitt’s starting defensive back.“There was a moment of sadness, and everybody was emotional, everybody was stressed, but somebody had to step up,” Clement said. “I had to be an adult.”Later that morning, Clement texted another adult in his life—Bishop McDevitt football head coach Jeff Weachter. Weachter received a message from Clement saying “something bad happened.” Thinking it was a weekend injury, the coach called up his cornerback, learning the news. The feeling the coach felt was similar to that of the morning when he learned that former Bishop McDevitt line coach Lamar BanksClement joined Bishop McDevitt last season as a transfer from Neumann-Goretti. The 5-11 defensive back’s family moved from Philadelphia up to Harrisburg, with his father’s non-profit, the Rebuild the Village foundation, relocating to the area. After serving as a key team member last year til he was deemed ineligble for the postseason due to transfer, Clement has had a big 2025 for the Crusaders. But even with a big week of practice ahead of a district playoff game against Mechanicsburg, the gridiron was of little concern. “I stayed in touch with him all day,” Weachter said. “I had to let his teammates know. We called them down to the gym and we told him and we had quite a few kids that went home.” Eventually, on Tuesday, Weachter spoke in his office with Clement and his best friend since childhood, star running back Nazir Jones-Davis. Clement told the coach the funeral was Wednesday at a mosque in inner-city Philadelphia on Germantown Avenue.That was all the program needed to hear. Athletic director Connor Marsico secured a bus for varsity players. There, they supported Clement, spoke with his mother and family and many experienced a mosque for the first time. Struck by the openness of the community welcoming and thanking a Catholic school team into their place of worship, and by the emotion of a grieving teammate, bonds were fortified. “I would say it probably bonded us more as a team, not and this team is pretty close,” Weachter said.“It definitely meant a lot,” Clement said. “They came inside, they saw us pray. A couple of coaches stayed to see the grave.”There was never much doubt Clement was going to play that Friday.But that process was easier said than done: the first step was getting new equipment. Clement’s helmet, cleats, shoulder pads, girdle and practice jersey were all in the car at the time of the accident, his eye shield blackened beyond visibility by the char. After replacing those items, Clement started trying to throw himself into preparation for the game, a district quarterfinal against Mechanicsburg.But as the game ticked down, he heard his coaches’ calling his name: the defender was being asked to line up at running back, a position he hasn’t played since pee-wee. “ were trying to break down the offensive plays to me,” Clement said. “I was trying to tell them, I played running back in little league.”Clement subbed in. And after a carry for no gain, he used his instincts to dart through the middle of the line and scored on a five-yard run to the end zone late in the fourth against the Wildcats. “Before the game, I was already emotional. First drive, even though I had a tackle or two, I said ‘That’s not enough. I need better. I’m not doing enough.’”When Shaheed Clement thinks about his dad, he thinks about what people said about him, whether it was through his non-profit mentorship work or just day-to-day interactions. Stories of how Eliot helped a wrongfully accused man secure a lawyer and prove innocence in the court to a man once living a life on the streets he helped mentor into a job at a hospital he holds to this day. “I’ve heard a lot of stories from a lot of his friends,” Clement said. “He just saw the good in people.” There’s no replacing him in the Clement househould. But the team has found some solace in the Fridays it can all gather together and watch Bishop McDevitt’s football team vie for a state championship, as the Crusaders are currently two wins away from a second consecutive state title. “I think it has helped because other family members, they’ve been showing up to the game,” Clement said. “And then just all the support and the love and just being around me to the family has given them something positive.” As for Clement personally, he’s playing for something bigger now, carrying his father’s memory with him as the Crusaders ready to take on Peters Township in the 5A state semifinals on Saturday in Altoona.“Just do it for him.”
High-School-Sports Section:/Highschoolsports
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
N.J. university names a retired bishop as its next presidentHe is taking over for current university president, recently elected New Jersey's next lieutenant governor, on Dec. 1.
Read more »
Nigerian parents say they are kept in the dark over abducted schoolchildrenSeveral parents of the over 300 schoolchildren seized by armed men in the latest mass abduction in Nigeria tell The Associated Press the government has told them nothing about rescue efforts. The stress has been so high that one parent has died of a heart attack, the local Catholic bishop said Wednesday.
Read more »
Bishop William Barber: ICE Raids and Shredding of Social Safety Net Are LinkedFearless Independent Journalism
Read more »
Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, civil rights leader and AME Church leader, dies at 71He fought to end racial profiling by police and to boost funding for urban schools as pastor of the St. Matthew AME Church in Orange and president of the Black Ministers Council of New Jersey.
Read more »
Bishop McDevitt vs. Peters Township: PIAA 5A football semifinal previewThe Crusaders meet the surprise WPIAL champions Saturday in Altoona
Read more »
Undefeated Raines Vikings share Thanksgiving tributes of family, faith and football as Round 3 approachesUndefeated Raines football players share heartfelt gratitude for family, faith, and football as they prepare for their Round 3 playoff game against Bishop Kenny during Thanksgiving week.
Read more »