The former Pomona football player dedicates the college game to his late mother

Stephanie Devries was more than just a mother to her children Anthony and Lizzie and their father Chad.

In her memory, Anthony now plays for her. Because his mother – who died two years ago in June – was always the light of his life, the former Pomona football star has tried to carry on her legacy and spread her light throughout his football career.

“My mom was different than everyone else,” said Anthony, a redshirt junior offensive lineman at McPherson College in Kansas. “Of course there are many mothers who are ready to do anything for their children/family, but that was my mother's whole life. Her life revolved around my sister, my father and me. She almost never did anything for herself, everything she did, she did for someone else. The most selfless person I will ever meet was my mother.”

The love Anthony and Lizzie felt for their family's matriarch could be seen and felt even from South Dakota – where the faces of famous American Moms are spiritually etched in stone with the greats of Mount Rushmore.

“She was present,” said the 6-foot-1, 290-pound man. “She always did something to put a smile on my face, she never made me or my sister feel like we were alone with anything. My father does the same thing. Every day of the week, regardless of how she was feeling, she was always there to help me make my day better. The bond between my mother and I was special and I still feel it today.”

A son's promise to his mother

“She had been battling breast cancer for about two years, this was the second time she had it,” Anthony said. “She hadn’t told anyone until her deathbed how bad it really was. Some of her closest friends didn't even know she had died six months after her death. She really tried to fight on her own even though we didn't allow her to actually do it. It was a very difficult time for my family because she was really the rock for all three of us.”

Anthony said his mother had been unwell for a few months when the family was in Oklahoma City for a weekend softball tournament.

“It just went downhill so fast you couldn’t see it coming,” Anthony said. “As we were in the hospital with her the week she was there, all I could do was tell her how much I loved and appreciated her. There is no one in this world who could replace what she meant to me, she truly was my best friend.

“I let her know that everything I was going to do from then on was going to be done with her in mind. Her wish for me was that I would finish school and take care of the family I would soon be starting, and I promised her that I would do that.”

Anthony spent as much time as possible with her in the hospital during those final days of her life.

“For the last few days she hasn't been able to speak because of her illness, but I just wanted to tell her I love her,” he said. “I knew she could hear me because every time I told her she would squeeze my hand.”

She died on June 15, 2022.

“I just remember being numb for so long, like I was floating and nothing felt real,” Anthony said.

His mother was just 52 years old. Her death occurred the day before Anthony's 19th birthday on June 16.

“After her death, I fell into a deep depression. Without the image of her on the bed in my head, I couldn’t do anything,” Anthony said. “I was also the rock for my whole family during this time, so I didn't allow myself to be soft on them, I was there for everyone. It was like my mother took over my body for a while because I took care of everyone emotionally.”

He continued.

“It was only recently, probably about five or six months ago, that I started to really seek God in my life.”

“Honor my mother through football”

When soccer practice began in August 2022, Anthony decided to play the game he loved in honor of his mother.

“The following fall, I started praying to her and God before games,” he said. “I also wrote her name on the back of every new pair of football boots I bought. She’s still a big part of my life, even though she can’t physically be here.”

Anthony explained.

“I pray to them just before kickoff and let them both know how grateful I am to be able to play the game I love with them in my life,” he said. “After every prayer just before kick-off, I stand up and blow her a kiss up in heaven. I wear a necklace with her birthstone and a locket containing her ashes every day. This shows me that she is close to me. I also have a tattoo of her initials on my left chest so she will always be close to my heart.”

“He’s definitely a unique guy,” Bulldog redshirt freshman halfback/tight end Brayton Dewell said. “When I came to college as a fullback, Anthony and I had the same coaching position because the O-line, tight ends and fullbacks were all in meetings together and that’s where we met.”

A friendship quickly developed.

“It didn’t take long for us to become very good friends,” Dewell noted. “When I first found out what had happened to his mother … I was shocked because it's very hard to go through, especially as a college athlete and being away from home. But knowing Anthony, I knew he could overcome it. He definitely gives everything to football and I know he does it for his mother and family and for the love of the game.”

Sophomore running back Brysen Kerby feels the same way.

“The way I look at Ant is, if you didn’t know about his story, you would never know,” Kerby said. “He’s always a bright spot and always makes you laugh. The strength of his character definitely comes through, be it on the football field or in everyday life. I am sure that anyone who is or was close to Anthony would be proud of the man he is today.”

The same goes for redshirt junior halfback/tight end Harley Blaske.

“This is amazing because I know what it’s like to lose a loved one,” Blaske said. “It’s hard, but dedicating your game to your mother is unforgettable.”

Anthony's team continues to rally around him.

“Anthony is a great guy,” redshirt freshman linebacker Kennedy Batchelder said. “He puts his best into everything he does. The man has nothing but love in his heart and he pours it out on and off the field.”

“The best version of myself”

“I would hope that she would be very proud of me and the man that I am becoming,” Anthony said. “I strive every day to become what she raised me to be. I am not perfect as an individual and make mistakes like all people, but I strive to be the best version of myself that I can be. I think she would be proud to know that she played a big role in what I want to be.”

This includes continuing her legacy as a beacon for others, just as his mother was.

“Her legacy can only be carried by my sister and I, so it's important to me because she was such an amazing woman, the most selfless, loving, lovable person you'd ever meet,” Anthony said. “I can only hope to be half of her. There was not a single person she would say “no” to help, and she did everything in her life with love in her heart. All I can do is try to emulate who she was.”

If he could see his mother again?

“I would hug her as hard as I could and tell her I loved her,” Anthony said. “There is nothing in this world I want more than to be able to hug her again.”

Anthony's Mother's Day story ends with this message to his mother, who is now part of the Mount Rushmore of Mom Greats in heaven.

“My message to her is that I love her and I’m doing my best to be great,” Anthony said. “It's been hard without her these last few years, but I'm trying to learn and grow into the man I need to be. I know she knows this, and I know she is still there because angels and souls from the past are absolutely real.”

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