ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It’s only been a few weeks, but Chris Griffith, Dixie Hollins High School soccer coach, is already a huge fan of freshman Wilfre Mercedes.
“He’s one of the fastest boys out here,” he said, watching from near the goal during a Thursday night practice.
“I’ve got three more years with him. So, he’s doing great.”
A few months ago, things weren’t great for the teen. Mercedes felt sick in December 2020. He was rushed to the hospital and was told he needed a heart transplant.
He spent two months at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.
Soccer was one of the things he missed most while recovering. His mom brought him a soccer ball and Mercedes got to kick the ball around with his surgeon and other hospital staff just a few days after his transplant.
"We got all together and we thought it was a good gesture that we could all do it together," Dr. Awais Ashfaq, a pediatric cardiac surgeon at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital since November 2020, said. "I think he liked it."
The teen vowed to return to the field once he was medically cleared. His goal was to make the varsity roster as a freshman.
“I was pretty confident about it but I guess you could say it was really special because this is high school soccer,” Mercedes said. “How I see it is, ‘Look at that man. That right there is Wilfre Mercedes who came back up from a heart transplant’ and stuff like that. Like I said, I’m a strong man, you know?”
Griffin didn’t even know about his player’s heart history until reviewing Mercedes soccer paperwork.
“No idea,” the coach said with a chuckle. “He’s got the best attitude out here.”
The first regular-season game is Tuesday night at Dixie Hollins. Mercedes is just happy to be on the field again but has set a few personal goals.
“Play every game,” he said when asked about his goals for the season. “And, score a goal.”