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Team and town dedicate game to stricken player The Associated Press LA PINE -- Cathy Ellingson didn't know how much her son meant to other people until she went to the Sutherlin-La Pine high school football game Saturday night. Alex Taylor, 17, collapsed during pregame warmups Thursday evening, when the game was originally scheduled. Taylor suffers from a congenital heart defect and remains in critical condition at Charles Medical Center. Residents of this small central Oregon town opened their hearts for the popular teen, who is president of the La Pine High senior class. Homemade signs with messages like "You're in our prayers" appeared in windows and on marquees. A banner that read "Alex, this one's for you" hung at one end of Tim Tracy Field on Saturday night. The cross-country and volleyball teams elected not to compete in their events Saturday as a tribute to Taylor. Admission to the football game was free, but donations were collected to go toward Taylor's hospital bills. In the first 15 minutes after the gates opened, $500 was collected and spectators continued to drop $10 and $20 bills into the bucket. Ellingson had not left her son's bedside, except for a six-hour break to go home and sleep Friday night. But she went to the game, which was dedicated to her son. She was stunned when players and other students brought her Taylor's jersey -- number 21 -- and offered her hugs and words of encouragement. "As a mom, you know your kid is special because he's your kid," she said. "But you never realize how much he touches other people's lives until something happens. "I could never repay everyone, and I need them to know that it's deeply, deeply appreciated." Riding the wave of emotions, the Hawks defeated Sutherlin 32-21. La Pine is now 4-1 for the first time since moving up from Class 2A to 3A in 1992. The Hawks took the lead for good in the second quarter on a 22-yard run by Brandon Strecker, his first of two touchdowns. Quarterback Frank King threw three touchdowns, two to Mike O'Brien, who did not sleep Friday night after staying with Taylor at the hospital. After the game, the players went to Taylor and awarded him the game ball. "I was really proud of the kids," said coach Rusty Zysett. "Obviously, with what has happened recently, it puts a lot of things like football into perspective." Taylor, a 6-foot, 160-pound wide receiver, isn't a star on the team. "But he's a good kid who's out because he likes the game," Zysett said. "Every time he went in he gave it his all." Ellingson said her son was "living for his senior year" and dreamed of entering the military and eventually becoming a U.S. Marshal. After the game, she went back to the hospital, and said she wouldn't leave until she brought her son home with her. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.