Ten Zillah Leopards football players participated in an event earlier this month that none of them will soon forget. The players took part in the Mid-Columbia Down Syndrome Buddy Walk in Kennewick’s Columbia Park.
The annual fundraiser for the nonprofit organization is one of several events throughout the year for families and children with Down syndrome.
Leopard football players who took part in the Buddy Walk included seniors Kane Koerner, Cameron Bounds, Nick Camarata, Tanner Winkler, Jeremiah Wise and Skylor Davis; sophomores Ricky Cuellar and Derek Ross; and freshman Robert Slack.
The players were joined by reigning Miss Zillah Courtney Bounds.
It was one of the most coolest experiences,” said Cameron Bounds about participating in the event. “It felt really good to give back to children with Down syndrome.” 
Leopard players were a big hit at the event. At one point they joined forces with the Richland Cheer Squad to get the entire party rocking with a Congo line.
The event took on dual meaning for the players, who were there for assistant Coach Jake O’Neal, whose five-year-old daughter Janae was born with Down Syndrome.
O’Neal, who is in his third year as an assistant coach for Rock Winters, will be leaving soon. He and his wife, Shelly have already accepted an offer on their home in Zillah and have found a new place to relocate in Ohio.
“It is a work thing,” said O’Neal, who has worked for Ace Hardware since 1995, “I have been transferred. But I am going to fly back and forth for the remainder of the regular season to make to all the rest of the games. Post-season is still in the air.”
The O’Neal’s are originally from the Chicago area and will be much closer to both their families.
A very special band, composed of members with Down syndrome, headlined the Buddy Walk. Leopard players danced to the tunes and got the children to join them.
“I love coach and I really felt like a part of his family,” said Koerner. “I’ll remember this day for the rest of my life, and I hope he does, too.”
The lessons learned by the players from coaches can sometimes be life lasting, as it was evident with this event.
“It was a great experience, it made me feel good about myself,” Koerner said.
O’Neal, 34, was named Zillah’s defensive coordinator at the beginning of last season. Zillah’s defense was one of the best in SCAC as a result.
Saturday mornings have become a special tradition for the group of seniors. On Saturdays, they get together to watch film and hang out with Jake.
“He has been a friend and coach for my high school career,” said Davis. “He has built a tremendous trust with us over the years. We would go to his house and hang out to watch football, or just to talk. When the bar-be-cue got fired up, Jake was a great cook.”
“I’m sad, because he is a great coach and also a great friend,” said Winkler.  “He would do anything for us and I wish the younger guys would have had the pleasure to be coached by him for as long as we did because we learned a lot from him and he is a great teacher.”
The O’Neal’s have four daughters – Kalee 11, Mia 7, Janae 5, and Bree 4.
According to Winkler, the event was a great experience for the players.
“It was a blast and I would do it again in a heartbeat, it felt good to help and do something as meaningful as that,” Winkler said.
 “The thing that was biggest about today, was it showed me how many people who are called different and have disabilities are just the same as you and I,” Oswalt added. “It also showed me how many people just in the small area Down syndrome has affected.”
“I figured they were just wanting to get the entire trip over with,” said O’Neal, “but by the time it was over, they had each come up and personally thanked me for taking them to the event.”
O’Neal will be missed by the entire Zillah Leopards family. His players all agree he has been not only a great on field coach, but also a coach that loved to teach life lessons off the field.
“It just feels great to come together as a team and go out into the community and support something great. I hope some of the younger Leopards will keep this going or something like it. That’s what our team is all about, getting together and doing something great,” said Wise.