Riley Kelton is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism graduate student assigned to cover Cactus High School for AZPreps365.

On May 31, Cactus offensive lineman Dillon Lubin faced every child’s worst nightmare. As Lubin tried to wake his mother for a ride to work, the grim reality set in that his mother, Loni, had passed away from a heart attack.

“I was trying to wake her up and got nothing,” Lubin said. “It was the worst day ever. There was nothing I could’ve done. I tried giving her CPR. I tried doing everything I could, but she wasn’t coming back.”

Not only did Lubin and his 25-year-old brother, Tylor, have to deal with the grief of being parentless, they also had to quickly learn how to navigate the financial stress of providing for themselves.

“She passed on the 31st, and we had to pay bills by the first,” Lubin said. “It was hard, and it’s still hard. Between school, work, taking care of the dogs and finances, it’s always something new every day, and it’s never going to be easy.”

Tylor Lubin (left), Dillon Lubin (middle) and Loni Lubin (right) at Tylor’s graduation ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Dillon Lubin)

Lubin’s mother was the third parent the football program has lost unexpectedly in the past three years. Coach Brian Belles and his staff know that in times like these, nothing is more important than supporting their players emotionally.

“What they need is to know that people around them care,” Belles said. “Obviously our boosters are going to try to help financially, but that’s just a dollar sign. Knowing people around them care is the support they need and the best thing we can do for them.”

Worried about keeping a roof over his head, Lubin decided over the summer that football would be too much financially to continue. With help from Cactus boosters, a GoFundMe and his job, Lubin became stable enough financially to return for his senior season, finding both an escape and a platform to honor his mother.

When Lubin came back, his positive, comedic energy was felt immediately by the team, even though he was the one who needed the uplift the most.

“It was good to just see him smile again,” Belles said. “I think it was something he wanted to do and didn’t know if he could, but when he came back, he was just a kid again, having fun.”

“He’s always laughing, joking and so optimistic about everything,” assistant coach Nick Gomez said. “He sees the light in everything and that everything is half-full. It’s even hard for him now to be negative because he always has a smile on his face that lights up every room he walks into.”

Despite the hardship and grief Lubin continues to carry, he wants to be an example for others going through difficult times.

“I want to make myself an anchor for other people,” Lubin said. “I try not to show my struggles to friends, family and teammates to be that anchor and show them that if I can do it, so can they.”

Holding in those internal struggles can be exhausting. The one constant Lubin has been able to lean on is his faith, although it hasn’t been a straight path of understanding.

“I’ve had so many ups and downs in my faith,” Lubin said. “I think, ‘Why would God take her away?’ But then I also think, ‘What does he see? What is he using my mom’s passing to help me with?’ I don’t know yet, but my peace right now is knowing that she’s with God and he always has a plan.”

Before every game, Lubin runs onto the field and into the end zone, says the Lord’s Prayer and talks to his mom.

Dillon Lubin praying in the end zone before a game earlier this season (photo courtesy of Dillon Lubin)

“I always have a feeling that she’s looking out for me,” Lubin said. “She looked out for me down here, and I know she’s up there doing the same.”

The influence his mom had on his life has motivated Lubin to pursue college at either Arizona State University or Grand Canyon University to study pre-law. Lubin said he’s inspired by his mother’s work ethic and wants to continue to push himself to be the person she wanted him to be.

“My mom was the most hard-working person I knew,” Lubin said. “She was all alone, working three jobs, and with all of that, she was able to buy a home, pay her mortgage and take care of our four dogs while making sure my brother and I were taken care of. That’s what I strive to be as a person. If I can be even a fourth of what she was, that’s an accomplishment.”

Dillon Lubin with his mother, Loni, and his older brother, Tylor. (Photos courtesy of Dillon Lubin)