09/16/2026
VERRET PLAYER UPDATE — A SMALL MIRACLE IN THE MIDST OF TRAGEDY
This is a longer post, but we hope you’ll take a few minutes to read it.
There is a lesser-known story from the terrible events of September 12th that we believe deserves to be told. In the middle of unimaginable tragedy, a series of seemingly small decisions may have changed the course of one young man’s life.
Over the past few days, we have had several conversations including Brandon Thiel, the family advocate, our player’s coach, and our 14-year-old player himself. To protect his privacy, we’ll call him “KV.”
KV is the son who lost his mother, Letha Verret, his grandmother, his uncle, and his uncle’s girlfriend in the Ashland murders. His father passed away when he was young, and now, at just 14 years old, KV has been left without either parent and without the financial support his mother provided.
But there is another part of this story.
KV loves soccer.
Travel soccer was something his mother could not financially prioritize. KV wanted to play, though, and one of our coaches, Coach Edwin, who is also a teacher at KV’s school, encouraged him to join his team.
This past weekend, KV’s team had a tournament in Gulfport, Mississippi. His mother was very hesitant to allow him to go. She didn’t have the money for his hotel, and because of that, she initially did not want to submit the paperwork necessary for him to be placed on the tournament roster.
Coach Edwin was persistent with Ms Letha.
He reassured her that they would figure the money out. He even personally offered to pay for KV’s hotel room.
Essentially: “Let him go. We’ll figure the rest out later.”
Finally, Ms. Letha agreed.
At the last minute, she signed the paperwork that allowed her son to go play soccer that weekend. KV’s two older sisters drove him to Gulfport.
That decision would become far more important than anyone could possibly have known.
If it were like most nights, KV would have been home with his mom and grandmother.
But on the night of September 12, he wasn't. He was in Gulfport playing soccer.
The game KV loved, a coach who refused to let money keep him from going, and his mother reluctantly signing that paperwork at the last minute, all came together in a way no one could have possibly understood at the time.
Had any of those small things gone differently, we simply do not know what would have happened.
But very likely, his life was saved.
KV’s two young half-sisters were also thankfully with their father that weekend.
And when the moment came that no 14-year-old should ever experience. While KV was still in Gulfport, he was given the news of his family. One of his first questions wasn’t about himself.
It was “Are my little sisters okay?”
After everything he had just been told, his first concern was whether his little sisters were safe.
There are moments in life that are difficult to explain. Maybe you call it timing. Maybe circumstance. Maybe providence. Maybe a small miracle in the middle of something horrific.
Whatever you call it, soccer—and a coach who cared enough to keep asking—played a remarkable role in this story that weekend.
Now, his family wants soccer to continue being part of his story. KV wants to keep playing. The Verret family has made it clear that they want KV to keep playing. Not because soccer is the most important thing he needs right now—it obviously isn’t—but because this young man has already had so much taken away from him.
To share some of his own words from his Facebook post...
"I'll be the man you always wanted me to be. I love you so much, Momma. I cant wait until I'm able to give you the biggest hug ever and just feel your touch one more time. I'll keep my dreams in soccer for you. I'll actually try and make a name for myself just for you, Momma. But now that your gone, a part of me is also gone. The man I am today is all because of you. Everything I know is because of you. I remember asking you questions about so much things, and you always had an answer. I’ll forever and always love you, Momma. From here on now, my love will only get deeper. I'll never forget you or who you were. You will forever always be apart of me."
Soccer does not have to be one more thing he loses.
Bayou Soccer Club's Board has already decided that KV will receive a full scholarship for his club dues for as long as he is with our club.
But it has to go further.
KV is 14 years old. If he continues playing through age 18, he has almost four years of youth soccer ahead of him. He cannot possibly cover tournament hotels, team fees, uniforms, cleats, balls, travel expenses, and the other costs that come with competitive soccer.
We estimate that completely covering those expenses through his remaining youth soccer years will require approximately $17,000.
So we are creating the Verret Soccer Fund.
The GoFundMe that so many of you have generously supported is helping the entire family with much greater needs—funerals, medical expenses, childcare, household expenses, and the enormous challenges ahead.
This is something different.
Our goal is simple: KV will never have to wonder whether he can afford to play soccer again.
If you would like to contribute to the Verret Soccer Fund, donations can be made by:
Check:
Bayou Soccer Club
Verret Soccer Fund
PO Box 625
Houma, LA 70361
Venmo our Club President:
CAUTION!! Ensure it is only
https://venmo.com/u/ClayDup
Please note “Verret Soccer Fund” with your donation.
Funds raised through this effort will be used for KV’s soccer-related expenses. Any funds exceeding those needs will also be directed to his benefit.
Thank you to everyone who has already prayed, donated, shared, reached out, and supported this family.
We cannot undo what happened on September 12th. We cannot give KV back what was taken from him.
But we can make sure he does not lose this too. We will not let this young man fall by the wayside.
One Team. One Mission. Bayou Soccer.
