A tattoo of hands clasped in prayer is needled to the outside of Will Kalberg-Taylor’s left arm. He added “Mom” to the underside of the same arm recently, fresh ink for a fresh wound.

Kalberg-Taylor, a senior football player at Minneapolis Southwest, lost his mother, Tammy Kalberg, in August three days before the start of the season. He had already decided to play football after a four-year hiatus, unsure of what he could offer and never imagining how much he would need the support of teammates.

Everything came together in the Lakers’ season-opening victory against Minneapolis Edison. The Tommies first drive into Lakers territory ended with a Kalberg-Taylor interception and 84-yard touchdown return. Teammate Camden Knuckles, though not on the field, raced down the sideline shouting encouragement. After scoring, Kalberg-Taylor touched his new tattoo in tribute.

“I think she set it up,” Kalberg-Taylor said of his mother. “On offense you get the ball, defense you don’t. But the ball came to me. I think it was set up for me.”

While no touchdown can replace a loved one, Kalberg-Taylor said playing football gives him a welcome mix of support and distraction. Football coach John Biezuns recruited Kalberg-Taylor, the Lakers’ starting point guard, for two years before the young man accepted. Though he last played football in eighth-grade, Kalberg-Taylor believed the sport would pay dividends on and off the field.

“I just wanted to try it because I didn’t want to do anything stupid,” Kalberg-Taylor said. “I knew I wouldn’t but it’s better to be playing and practicing instead of walking around and not having anything to do and then have something bad happen.”

Off-field trouble found Kalberg-Taylor when his mother underwent gall bladder surgery in July and quickly developed complications. In the end, Kalberg-Taylor said, “She couldn’t talk at all. We had to make a decision to pull the plug because we saw tears in her eyes and we didn’t want her to suffer.”

She died August 12, just three days before the start of fall practice. Knuckles, one of Kalberg-Taylor’s best friends, believed he would honor his football commitment despite the loss.

“He’s a strong kid,” Knuckles said. “He took a little time for himself and he came back when he was ready. He’s not a quitter.”

Biezuns asked Kalberg-Taylor’s permission to use his story during his pregame speech as a lesson for teammates. He told the Lakers, “I don’t know how well you all know your teammates, but you’ve got a guy in here that lost his mother. I’m so close to my mom – she’s never missed a game I’ve played or coached. If she left, I wouldn’t know what to do. So guys, pick each other up.”

Tears were shed among teammates in the locker room. And when Kalberg-Taylor went out and scored the season’s first touchdown on an interception, Biezuns “honestly got a little teary-eyed.”

Since their mother's death, Kalberg-Taylor and his younger sister moved from downtown Minneapolis to a cousin’s house in Brooklyn Park. He gets a ride to school then comes home after practice to eat, do homework and hone his basketball skills. Then it’s off to bed to start again. The busy schedule helps keep his mind off his grief.

“When I think about it, it’s hard,” Kalberg-Taylor said. “If someone else is talking about their mom, it gets to me. So I try not to think about it. I try to keep active.”

Staying busy on the field will soon be no problem. Working his way to starting free safety for the first game is just the beginning. His preparations for Friday’s game at Edina include learning the slot receiver routes. Knuckles is helping him sharpen his familiarity of the offense. He is also there to offer emotional support.

“We’re like his family,” Knuckles said. “We pick him up, we’re there for him. He knows my father and myself will do anything for him. We try to lift him up, give him support.”

Knuckles also receives strength from Kalberg-Taylor.

“I’ll be tired at practice sometimes but then I think, ‘You know what? I can’t be complaining if he’s not complaining,” Knuckles said. “He’s stronger than me. I need to pick my game up and be like him.”

A symbol of quiet strength amid grief, Kalberg-Taylor has made an impact on his football teammates more lasting than any interception.

“For him to show up and work hard every day and never make an excuse – I mean I’ve got guys with cramps and this and that but he never complains and he doesn’t have a mother," Biezuns said. “His whole life changed drastically and he doesn’t make excuses.”