Meridian’s Jeremy Evins is usually energetic on Fridays. Last Friday was a bit more melancholy for the senior safety.

Levi Madison, a former Meridian defensive lineman who played for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College this season, died in a one-vehicle accident early Friday morning. The news hit Evins hard, as Evins admired Madison when the two were teammates.

“It’s very tough, especially for him to go because you wouldn’t expect it,” Evins said. “I couldn’t even get hyped for the game that morning.”

The Wildcats defeated Northwest Rankin 42-25 Friday, and after the game the team got together in a circle and said Madison’s name out loud, a touching way to honor a fallen former teammate.

“It felt unreal, like you can’t believe he’s gone” senior defensive back Javius Davis said about the post-game acknowledgement. “He was a good person, like a brother. He was fun to hang around.”

It wasn’t just football games where Madison made his presence felt, Evins said. No matter what Madison was doing, he would try to set a good example for those around him.

“He was always a leader,” Evins said. “He showed us how stuff was supposed to go. He was a leader in the classroom and in film sessions, not just playing football.”

Senior defensive lineman Brendon Latham said Madison’s personality made others want to be around him.

“He was fun and lifted everyone up, and he was going to make sure everyone was doing the right thing,” Latham said. “He was just like a coach.”

Demetrius Hill, Meridian’s defensive line coach, said Madison was a fun player to coach because of his positive outlook on life.

“Levi was a very loving and giving person,” Hill said. “He was a heck of a player, but more than that he really cared about people and life. He had a great goal in mind with his life plan, and he stayed focused. He was a heck of a kid.”

Meridian alumnus Nash Acton said Madison was one of the first people with whom Acton bonded when he transferred to Meridian from Lamar.

“He just acted like we had known each other forever,” Acton recalled. “If you met him, he made an impact on your life. He was always happy and kept everyone up when we were playing football. He was a great teammate but an even better person.”

Although he knew people on Meridian’s team before he transferred to the school, Acton said Madison helped make the transition much easier than it otherwise would have been.

“I didn’t know Levi until I got there, but me and him kind of got close,” Acton said. “If I ever had a question, he was there, and I was there for him. I think it would’ve been a lot different if I didn’t have Levi to talk to. He helped me a lot as far as getting the hang of things. I knew people before I got there, but I also met people through him.”

When he got the news Friday morning, Hill said he was shocked and saddened.

“At first I was like, ‘No, it’s not true,’” Hill said. “I last saw him at the West Lauderdale game, and he was very high spirited and talking good about the season they were having down there (at Mississippi Gulf Coast).”

Acton said the news of Madison’s death was difficult to swallow.

“Levi had a chance to make it anywhere in life that he wanted to,” Acton said. “He had the skills in football, he had the right mindset and he was determined. He could talk to anyone. I think he was going to go very far in life. Hearing something tragic happen to someone so young is never a good thing.”

Hill said Friday’s post-game cheer of Madison’s name showed just how important former players are to the team.

“Once you’re a Wildcat you’re always a Wildcat,” Hill said. “Even if you pass on, we love you and will never forget you.”