A beloved coach at Wellington High School has passed away after suffering complications with pneumonia, according to his friend Chris Anders.
Chris has been friends with Matt Mounts since they were students at John I. Leonard High School.
Matt died on Feb. 5 after spending eleven days in the ICU of a local hospital.
"It just goes to show you how fragile life really is," Chris said.
Matt coached several different sports at Wellington High and Palm Beach Central for more than a decade.
He coached everything from football to cheerleading.
Just a day after he passed, his cheerleading squad competed in nationals in Orlando.
The team placed second in the competition.
Jhona Navarrete is a member of the team.
"The second we hit at finals, we knew he was out on the floor with us. There was no way we could've done that without him," Jhona said.
The athletes who worked with Matt said he had four rules to live by.
1. Never get beat deep.
2. Always tie your shoes.
3. Keep your knees behind your toes.
4. Love each other.
Students say the fourth rule was the most memorable and most important.
Cody Nevad, a former football player at Wellington High, says Matt truly encouraged students to follow that rule.
"He definitely taught and showed it. He showed it with everybody. It didn't matter who you were. He never gave up on anybody, it doesn't matter who you are," Cody said.
Theater at Wellington High packed for memorial for Coach Matt Mounts. The beloved coach passed away last week. pic.twitter.com/SXO2Fl4Pph
— Katie Johnson (@Katie_Johnson_) February 10, 2016
Coach Mounts had 4 rules for his athletes. #4 was "love each other." There's a lot of that happening today. pic.twitter.com/iJUXuRpsnp
— Katie Johnson (@Katie_Johnson_) February 10, 2016
