One of the best parts of Jeff and Mandy Biros’s week is ‘Senior Sunday,’ when all the Gunter High School parents post throwback pictures of the Class of 2025. In half of their photos, their son, Bryce, is running around with his childhood best friend, Garrin Goetz. Mandy and Goetz’s mother went to school together, and Jeff jokes their two sons were a pair of rugrats.

Now Goetz is almost bigger than Jeff when he plops down next to the Biros family. He and Bryce are seniors on Gunter’s back-to-back state championship football team. All those baseball games, sleepovers and memories from the freshman football team together have culminated in one final season for the boys. 

“I’m sad that it’s going to be over,” Jeff said. “I don’t want it to end.”

Goetz is an offensive guard and defensive lineman. Bryce hasn’t played a down. At age 8, he was diagnosed with Ataxia Telangiectasia (AT), a neurodegenerative disorder that affects 1 in 100,000 people. Bryce is wheelchair-bound and almost non-verbal but entirely present. Even though he can’t respond in detail, Goetz knows Bryce registers everything he tells him on Friday night.

“Every time he comes into the locker room before the games, I always go and say what’s up,” Goetz said. “Even when we’re on the field I go up and talk to him, let him know how the game’s going and how the other team is. He’s always a great person to talk to.”

Gunter head coach Jake Fieszel describes Bryce as a cornerstone of the Class of 2025. He’s in the locker room, on the sidelines, and even calls the coin toss. One season, he went 10-0.

“Bryce provides a unique perspective on things,” Fieszel said. “When you’ve got someone who’s had some things taken away from them that they love, and they still have a fantastic attitude every day…”

He trails off. It’s hard to talk about.