Schools
Exeter Blue Hawks Win One for Cody Brackett
The football squad played in memory of a teammate who died this week.
It was an unusually warm September evening as the crowd gathered at the William Ball Stadium at Exeter High School. The band marched onto the field. The cheerleaders warmed up on the sidelines. The Blue Hawks football team suited up to play against Manchester Central. The atmosphere was somber. No. 28 was missing.
Exeter sophomore Cody Tyler Brackett had been a member of the Exeter junior varsity team. He played tight end and defensive end and dressed for the varsity games. He at his home Sept. 11.
Exeter won big, 49-0.
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A moment of silence was respected by everyone as heads bowed and tears fell in memory of a young man who was well-loved and well-respected not only on the playing field but also in the halls of the high school and throughout the town of Exeter.
Laura Miles, an English teacher at the school, remembered Cody as a “friend to everyone, a young man who gave and earned respect. Cody was someone you looked forward to seeing each day.”
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Josh Grillo, a schoolmate, said that Cody was always making people smile: “No matter how your day was going he’d smile at you and make it okay.
“He was a great friend. Everybody loved Cody! I’ll always remember his blue eyes. They were beautiful!” said friend and classmate Alexis Herpst.
Tim Miles, the band director, remembered having Cody in his History of Rock and Roll class last year. “He was a solidly nice kid. Very polite. Very respectful. He was the kind of kid who’d say hi to you in the hall not only during the year he was in your class but the next year, too.”
And Cheryl Goudreault said that her son Stephen knew Cody from kindergarten on. “He was a really nice boy. Great manners. Cared about everyone. We all love Cody."
