Enright’s No. 15 emblazoned in gold at Cartan

It was the first of many tragedies that have befallen the Menlo football program in 2021. Having worn No. 15 last season as a junior-varsity football freshman, Enright’s number was memorialized Saturday at Menlo’s home opener, with the uniform number stenciled at the 15-yard line at both sides of the field.

“I could really care less about our statistics right now and how good we looked, or how good we didn’t look,” Menlo head coach Todd Smith said after the Knights’ 40-14 win over Aragon. “This was not our best football, clearly. But what I really want the message to the community to know is that these kids have gone through so much lately.

“They just lost Gary Riekes, a mentor to them and to their program, from the Riekes Center. We lost Michael Enright less than two months ago. … And last night, we had one of our kids lose his 17-year-old cousin in a car accident. Three kids have had their grandparents die in the last two weeks. So, it’s been this rollercoaster nightmare this week. And the kids did a really good job, especially in this game, until the game kind of flattened out. But more than anything … I want the message to be that I’m exceptionally proud of our community and our kids for battling through adversity.”

Menlo sophomore Ralston Raphael was one of Enright’s best friends. The two met in 2019 in the summer prior to their freshmen year during preseason football workouts. Raphael took notice of Enright’s work ethic in the weight room, and the two struck up a fast kinship.

“I was just amazed at how much more athletic he was than everybody else,” Raphael said.

Enright — whose cousin Bob Enright is a sophomore at Menlo and plays for the varsity football team — lived in Portola Valley and had a weight room at his house, so he and Raphael would exercise there frequently. Raphael said he had fond memories of spending family time with Enright, and Enright’s father Patrick, who would cook them dinners of steaks and hamburgers.

It was Saturday, Jan. 17, the day after Enright’s SUV overturned on a Menlo Park road, that Raphael received a text asking if he’d heard what had happened. Raphael said he didn’t think much of the text at first, but when he received a telephone call later from a friend who was in tears, he was stunned to learn Enright was on life support in the hospital. Enright died the following day.

Raphael said he could feel Enright’s presence Saturday when he recorded a tackle at the very 15-yard line where his former teammate’s number was stenciled.

“I think it meant a lot,” Raphael said of the tribute. “It kind of felt like he was there, kind of watching the game.”

Menlo will also honor Enright with a junior-varsity spirit award, attaching his name to the annual trophy recognizing the most spirited player on the JV team.

“He was something,” Smith said. “He was just such a unique kid that he just captured a room.”

Menlo quarterback Sergio Beltran was friends with Enright and shared a special season together. It was last season when the junior-varsity Knights ran the table with a 10-0 record.

“He was basically the spirit of our JV team,” Beltran said. “Anytime we did well on offense, he was always cheering. And then when he went in, we all would cheer for him. He would make big plays, or not, we would always cheer for him. He was just a very high energy, high-spirited person that we all really miss.”

Smith said it was a decision by the Menlo football program to stencil Enright’s No. 15 in gold on the field. Beltran somberly recounted the team reporting to Cartan Field Monday, Jan. 19, the day after Enright was taken off life support. The team immediately began strategizing as to how to pay tribute to his memory.

“We just felt it was best that we honored him,” Beltran said. “He was a big part of our football program and he meant a lot to all of us. He was a great friend and teammate, so it was best that he stayed remembered, and with what we love, and with what he loved doing, which was playing football.”