TURBOTVILLE —A determined athlete who put others before himself, Hunter Reynolds dreamed of one day playing basketball for the University of Alabama. Reynolds, a fifth-grade student at the Warrior Run Middle School, died as the result of injuries sustained in a weekend automobile crash in County.
“Hunter lived for sports,” said Jeremy Bottorf, who coached Reynolds in both Upward Bound and Warrior Run elementary basketball. “Hunter was a tremendous kid that had a huge, competitive style about him,” he said. “He wanted to be the best at everything. He worked hard — he was eager to learn.” Reynolds was blossoming into a leader on the court, Bottorf said. “Whatever he did, he put 120% into it,” Bottorf said. “I told him all the time how much I believed in him. He really started working hard, realizing scoring wasn’t everything.” Reynolds took advice on the importance of passing the ball during games to heart, Bottorf said. “One of his games, after we had a nice talk, (Reynolds) made some of his best passes,” Bottorf reflected. “He came over to me, looked at me, and smiled.” Both he and Brady Jenney, Reynolds’ coach through Warrior Run Youth Football, noted his passion for University of Alabama athletics. “His dream was to go to Alabama and play basketball,” Bottorf said. Jenney said Reynolds started playing football about one year ago. “I had him for tackle season and our winter flag football season,” Jenney said. “His love for sports is unlike any kid that I ever met in my life. He was probably one of the most passionate and hardworking kids that I’ve seen, especially at his age.” About six weeks ago, Reynolds spoke with Jenney about his future aspirations. “He said to me, ‘coach, I don’t want to upset you, I love football, but I want to be an Alabama basketball player,’” Jenney recounted. According to Jenney, Reynolds traveled to University of Alabama games about once per year with his father, Bill Reynolds. “He met some of the cheerleaders and the players,” Jenney said, of Hunter. “We saw a picture of him, with him and the cheerleaders. He said ‘I met the cheerleaders this year and all they wanted to do was take pictures with me.’” While Reynolds was passionate about athletics, he also showed concern for others. “Hunter cared so much about his teammates and his friends and family getting recognition before himself,” Jenney said. “That is why this has hit our community so hard, because of how much he cares about other people. “He changed my life as a coach, (by) seeing the passion from him, at such a young age,” Jenney continued. “You will see it with older kids. From an 11 year old, all he wanted to do is get better and perform, and do the best he could for his team.” Reynolds frequently stayed after practices to work on various techniques with his coaches. “He was so appreciative of the time we had together,” Jenney said. “After every practice, he said ‘thank you coach for working with me.’” Jenney said Reynolds was also involved with Warrior Run’s varsity football program, picking up footballs from the sidelines and running water to players during games.
Reynolds touched lives beyond the Warrior Run School district. He participated in numerous clinics and camps led by Kathy Fedorjaka at the Lewisburg YMCA at the Miller Center. “He had such a spirit about him, in general, super competitive, like that fire you don’t always see in all kids,” Fedorjaka said. “He would be at the gym, he was at the Miller Center, working on his game. You would always see him.” Several years ago, as she was leading a student during a private training session, she noticed Reynolds watching. “The little girl I was training took a water break,” Fedorjaka said, adding that she looked over to the area of the gym where Reynolds was. “He was over there working on the exact stuff he saw me teaching her,” she said. “He was literally studying and trying to replicate what we were doing. That’s the fire he had.” Fedorjaka plans to launch an annual tournament or league in memory of Reynolds.
Matthew Wilson is president of the Milton Panther Cub Football program. His son, Kamryn, was a close friend of Reynolds. Wilson describes Reynolds has having “an upbeat personality.” “He put 110% into what he did,” Wilson said. “He was compassionate, kind, respectable.” While his son and Reynolds were competitive when they played against one another on the field, Wilson spoke of their tight relationship off the field. “I just look back at him and my son’s friendship and how true and a loyal friend he was,” Wilson said. “They loved each other... Even though they were separated by school districts and school lives, their friendship remained. Once on Halloween, Wilson said his son dressed as an Alabama football player and went trick-or-treating with Reynolds, who dressed as famed Alabama Coach Bear Bryant.
Students in the Warrior Run, Milton and surrounding school districts are being encouraged to wear sports jerseys to school Friday in honor of Reynolds. “That’s important because no one expects a kid to go through something like this, a parent,” Wilson said. “You expect your child to outlive you. This hits home to a lot of people. Nothing is promised, nothing is guaranteed. Enjoy life.” He said it’s important for parents to talk to and support their children through difficult circumstances, like the death of a friend. “I told (my son), ‘it’s OK to feel upset,’” Wilson said. “It’s OK to cry. It’s OK. It hurts. You are going to ask yourself ‘why did this happen?’ All we can do is look back at the memories.”
