INDIANAPOLIS ― Fountain Central tight end Isaac Gayler ended his high school football career with a warm moment after playing in the 58th Annual Murat Shrine North/South All-Star Game.
Gayler greeted his father Ryan Gayler, with a hug. Like many fathers, he was the one who taught Isaac life principles and has been teacher, disciplinarian and cheerleader.
But lately, the thoughts in Isaac's head have been of frustration and sadness. His father has been fighting liver cancer since 2022 and has continued chemotherapy treatments in Indiana along with attending medical clinics in Mexico.
"I'm not scared," Ryan Gayler said. "I've had my days and different phases just like everybody else who has been on this journey. But I'm not scared. I have a lot to live for, work for and my faith in Christ is going to bring me through."
Ryan's cancer diagnosis played a huge role in how Isaac approached both his home and sports life. Isaac quit playing football his junior season to focus on basketball, and the move from the outset seemed to have paid off.
Fountain Central went 23-5, and Gayler averaged 10.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and shot 59% from the floor. The Mustangs went on a strong run through the Class 1A playoffs and captured the first IHSAA regional championship in program history.
While the Mustangs were flying on the court, Gayler was internalizing his pain over his father.
"I was struggling," Gayler said.
Ultimately, football helped renew Isaac's spirit, as he came to terms with his father's condition and decided to play his senior year.
One of the men who coaxed Gayler into returning was his grandfather, and longtime assistant coach, Scott Minick.
"Isaac is the kind of kid where nothing will shut him down and use adversity to his advantage and become a strong person out of it," Minick said. "He does what he needs to do and puts in the extra work and takes it upon himself to be the best he could be."
Ultimately, Gayler had to make that decision himself, and he did it for his dad, a longtime supporter of the Mustangs' football team.
The 6-foot-8 Gayler caught 41 passes for 829 yards and 14 touchdowns as Fountain Central finished 6-4.
He was invited to play in the all-star game and, while the North lost 41-14 on Friday, he was cheered on by 35 friends and family members from Veedersburg who attended the game at Decatur Central.
"The offensive coordinator for the North team said Isaac is a great young man," Mustangs coach Herb King said. "And that's what you want to do is raise great young men and football is an avenue to do that. I've been very privileged to have great young men like Isaac. He's an outstanding individual and a great example of what we want to have as a football player at Fountain Central."
Isaac Gayler's career in football is finished and will now venture into his next phase. His sports career held together and a father fighting daily to beat cancer.
"It's definitely a lot to take in for a 19-year-old who had to go through what I've gone through," Ryan Gayler said. "But there's a measure of competitiveness that he can't let go. He's kept pushing himself and pushing himself and everyday we talk to each other about our struggles when we are having a bad day."
"We lean on each other, he keeps pushing and he won't stop."
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached atehanson@gannett.com, on Twitter at EthanAHansonand Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
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