Life could hardly have been better for Tate Myre on Nov. 29 as he walked into Oxford High School’s wrestling practice in Michigan, eager to continue perfecting his moves and maintaining his fitness while finding joy in helping others hone their skills. 

Leading by example and through encouraging words and gestures was also important to the junior 189-pounder, fresh off a football season during which he started at tight end and linebacker, served as team captain and helped the Wildcats reach the second round of the playoffs.

Boasting 4.44-second speed in the 40-yard dash, Myre made the varsity football squad as a freshman and was being courted by Division 1 gridiron programs and had just returned from a recruiting visit to the University of Toledo. 

Myre carried a 3.9 grade-point average and volunteered for things like mentoring middle school students about preventing bullying and working with cognitively-impaired kids.

At practice on that November day, he sought out teammate Sal Vackaro, a close friend of many years. The two had been through countless wrestling matches, football games, practices and weight training sessions together. Both were excited to begin their next athletic chapter together when the wrestling season began in nine days.

A two-time Michigan state qualifier, Myre seemed poised to take the next step and stand on the state tournament podium with a top-eight finish at season’s end. Vackaro, a senior, shared the same goal after becoming a state qualifier as a sophomore before falling short last season while battling injuries.

“Tate and I were talking about how far we were going go in wrestling (this season) after being so proud of how hard we have been working,” Vackaro said. “Tater was a great teammate, spreading good energy and knowing when to tell the team to focus up. His drive to be better every practice also motivated us.”

Myre got to work and, as usual, coach Ross Wingert took notice.

“Tate was going after it that day, working hard and moving even faster than last season,” said Wingert, also a member of the football coaching staff. “He almost looked to be in midseason form. He was about 184 pounds most of last year and wrestled up at 215 in a lot of matches to fill team needs, but this year he was a full 189 and was going to kick the crap out of people.”

Also gravitating toward Myre in the room that day was assistant coach Alan Wilfong’s five-year-old son, James, there for his first practice in Oxford’s youth program. James often accompanied his father to high school practices and Myre was never too busy for the boisterous toddler.

“Tate was the first one to say hi to James, gave him a fist bump as we walked into our office,” Wilfong later shared on Facebook. “When high school practice ended, Tate was one of the boys who stayed for (youth) club to help. Tate helped James with his stance. He told him he did good.”

Myre’s actions during what turned out to be his final practice offer a small glimpse into how he impacted so many lives during his own all-too-brief life.

The next day began as a typical Tuesday at the high school before descending into chaos just before 1 p.m. It was then, authorities say,  a 15-year-old sophomore emerged from a restroom and began shooting, striking 10 students and a teacher. 

Myre, who witnesses later said heroically dashed toward the shooter in an attempt to disarm him, was among those hit. Sheriff’s deputies reached Myre and soon realized the gravity of his situation. Ambulances were racing to the scene, but there was no time to wait. No time to waste.

Myre was loaded into a squad car in a frantic attempt to get him the medical attention he desperately needed. Tragically, Myre’s time ran out while en route to the nearest hospital.

He was one of three students whose lives ended far too soon that afternoon. Another passed away the next morning.

A DEVASTATING LOSS

Vackaro and the rest of Myre’s teammates were left stunned, somber and deeply saddened.

“Tate wasn’t just a teammate to me, but one of my best friends and we were as close as brothers,” he said. “One of the things I’ll miss about Tate is just working out together -- in the wrestling room, football field or weight room. Tate and I were the duo over the last couple summers, pushing each other every day to be better.”

Wingert, who had driven from his job as a financial advisor to a Meijer store next to the school where students were being reunited with loved ones, was crushed.

“I could go on for a very long time about Tate and how he was the guy who wanted to do everything right,” he said. “When it came to wrestling, if you told him he was not doing something right, he was going to correct it quickly with a great attitude. I could also talk all day long and never fully explain how who Tate was as a human being and a teammate, so easy for others to follow, far exceeded how good of an athlete he was and, make no mistake, he was a stud athlete.”

Wilfong was devastated by the loss of someone he loved coaching who had also bonded so easily and willingly with his son.

"We told James what happened to Tate, the sadness my 5-year-old felt breaks my heart," he wrote on Facebook. "The impression Tate Myre made on him was great. I tell James it's okay to cry. Daddy's cried a lot today."

An online petition to rename the school's football field after Myre has been signed more than 270,000 times. A scholarship fund was established in his honor. 

"There is no playbook for what just happened and it won't be fixed right away," Wingert told a gathering of football players, wrestlers, parents and siblings in a building near the school the following day. "It was just important to come together to talk about things and realize we are all going to handle this in our own ways."

BACK TO COMPETITION

Wednesday night after an emotionally-charged two weeks of mourning, attending the funerals of Myre and others who died, seeing Myre posthumously named honorable mention all-state in football, and receiving an outpouring of support from the sports world and beyond, the Wildcats finally begin their season with a quad match against Goodrich, Croswell-Lexington and host Swartz Creek.

"The boys are wrestling strong right now and everybody was on board with getting back to competition and honoring Tate at the same time," Wingert said. "I told the guys what they are going through is immense and that other teams might be looking at them a bit differently as they are lacing up, but we are determined to turn a negative situation into a positive one and move forward."

The Wildcats will enter the gym wearing gray T-shirts trimmed in blue and gold honoring Myre. The front features a symbol with his initials, football jersey number (42) and four hearts symbolizing the lives lost. A heart containing the names of all 11 shooting victims is on the back.

The front symbol is similar to the ones national power Detroit Catholic Central wore on its headgear during a season-opening win over Grandville on Dec. 9 and University of Michigan football players displayed on their helmets during the Big Ten Championship game four days after Tate's death. 

"Without Tate being with us for our first competition, the team is very motivated and will leave it all on the mat," Vackaro said. "Time to honor Tate." 

A SPECIAL LIFE

Buck and Sheri Myre welcomed Tate Frederick Myre, the youngest of their three sons, on Jan. 1, 2005. 

Social media posts throughout the years, along with Tate's obituary, depict, among other things, a childhood filled with family vacations, hunting and fishing with his father and brothers, a love of the holidays, clowning around with his siblings, relaxing with the family dog on his bed and, of course, sports.

Myre followed brothers Trent and Ty, four and two years older, into Oxford's youth wrestling program and then to the high school team. Trent was a state medalist who later qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association National Championships while wrestling for Muskegon Community College. 

Ty and Tate were wrestling and football teammates for two years. 

As a freshman, Tate started at 160 pounds, improving steadily throughout the season. Despite entering the postseason with just a 22-17 record, he became one of only four freshmen to qualify for the Division 1 state tournament at weights 160 and above, and one of only two to win a state tournament match.  

"In youth wrestling, Tate was kind of a giggly pudgeball, but had developed some strength and talent when he got to high school," Wingert said. "He showed he was not going to let anybody outwork him and had a good freshman year, but he needed more offense and we started to develop that."

Despite wrestling above his natural weight much of his sophomore year, Myre pinned his way to a 189-pound district title and placed second at the regional, becoming one of only six sophomores to qualify for the D1 state tourney at weights 189 and above.  

Myre again went 1-2 at the state tournament but beat Midland Dow's Aiden Wardell and Mattawan's James Campbell, who placed third and fifth in the state, during the season. He finished 25-6, leaving his high school record at 50-27.  

"Tate was a top-five (in the state) talent last year, but did not have the state tournament he was hoping for," Wingert said. "He was very motivated by that and we were working on his mental game, letting him know he was on a championship path. Tate was also developing moves like John Smith's low-level, single-leg takedown. He also has a massive gas tank and was going to be tough for anybody to deal with."

PRACTICE RESUMES

The Wildcats returned to practice at an undisclosed location on Dec. 8, the day after several of them spoke at Myre's funeral.

"What the guys said at the funeral and how they handled a very sad day nobody saw coming was really moving," Wingert said. "Obviously, nobody was in a great place that first practice back, but we just started with a slow drill. It took almost 10 minutes for everybody to start moving. Then, we took it from there."

The Wildcats' practice pace gradually increased, culminating in a very encouraging session this past Sunday, which told Wingert they were ready for competition. It concluded with a speech from Buck Myre.

"We had our first grinder of a practice Sunday and the guys were fantastic in how they responded," Wingert said. "Buck has been a rock through all of this and the entire family has been so tremendous for our community and Oxford's sports programs over the years. I asked if he wanted to talk to the guys and he let them know it was a good thing for them to want to get back to competing and that the only mistake they can make is holding anything back and not being ready to give their all."

A HEARTFELT MESSAGE

Ty Myre took to Instagram three days after Tate's death to express how much their relationship meant to him. The post has received more than 105,000 likes.

"Man, I just don't have any words," he began before writing 245 more words about his brother. "...I miss you with everything in my heart, Tate. What I would do to see you one more time. Listen to your voice one more time, block for you one more time, wrestle one more time...Rest easy lil bro have fun playing football up there til I can get up there to block for you."

Following today's quad, Oxford wrestles in its first tournament, the Oakland County Championships, on Saturday.

Vackaro can't wait.

"This season, I believe our team will be the hungriest team there is," he said. "We will do everything for Tate to make him proud."