Football player whose parents, sister died becomes part of coach's family
For 17-year-old Petey Jones, playing in his final season of high school football has extra meaning.
Petey, a senior at Cincinnati College Preparatory Academy, a public charter school in Cincinnati, Ohio, is playing his last games with not only his teammates, but also the coach he credits with helping to change the course of his life.
"I couldn't imagine," Petey told "Good Morning America" of his life without his coach, Ryan Holdren. "I probably would not be on the right track. I couldn't even describe it."
Petey said he first met Holdren in seventh grade, shortly after his father died unexpectedly due to a heart attack.
Holdren was not only Petey's social studies teacher that year but also the school's longtime assistant football coach. The two bonded both in the classroom and on the football field, where Holdren made sure Petey could participate.
"We got to talking about football practice and somehow the conversation kind of stirred up, of, 'Well, yeah, I don't know if I can play football, Mr. Holdren, I don't know if I'll have a ride home or not,'" Holdren recalled Petey saying. "And it was kind of like, 'Well, you never have to worry about that. We'll always find a spot.'"
Just one year after that conversation, when Petey was in eighth grade, his mother also died unexpectedly. That same year, in 2021, Petey's sister, with whom he had planned to live after his parents' deaths, died in a house fire.
"I was confused, but I was like angry," Petey said. "I was mad because everything happened out of nowhere. My whole life changed around in a matter of two years."
When Holdren learned of the death of Petey's sister, he and his then-girlfriend Caitlin Holdren, also a teacher at CCPA, offered Petey a place to stay.
"He was just always welcome at our house, so Petey finally came to stay with us," Ryan Holdren said. "It was one night, and turned into a couple of weeks."
After a few weeks of living together and commuting to school together, the Holdrens said they began talking to Petey and his older siblings, who were in their early 20s and lived on their own, about making the situation more permanent.
"We kind of put it up to Petey as well. In no way was I forcing him to stay. I kind of just always said, 'You're always welcome here,'" Ryan Holdren said. "And Petey made the decision."
In April 2021, with the support of Petey's surviving family members, Ryan Holdren applied for legal custody of Petey. Less than one year later, in February 2022, custody was granted by the Hamilton County Juvenile Court.
Petey quickly became a beloved member of the family.
When Caitlin Holdren, a reading teacher, and Ryan Holdren wed in 2022, Petey was by their side at the wedding.
And when the couple welcomed a son named Everett in 2023, Petey said he was thrilled to gain a younger sibling. The Holdrens said Petey was a huge source of support for them when Everett spent over 40 days in the neonatal intensive care unit after his birth.
"I was happy because I'm the youngest of all my siblings, so I never really had no younger siblings," Petey said. "So I was happy to have a little brother, someone I could finally play with."
The Holdrens said they have enjoyed watching Petey excel in all he does, from captaining the varsity football team to maintaining a 4.2 GPA and holding a part-time job.
Now in his senior year, Petey said he is full of gratitude as he works to earn a scholarship to play football in college, where he plans to study to become a nurse.
"Thank you to everybody that supports me and helped me through what I was going through when all the bad things ... happened in my life," he said. "I want to just thank everybody."
For Guyton Mathews, superintendent of CCPA, watching Petey become part of the Holderns' family has been an example of the power of "connection, resilience and love."
"I cannot express enough admiration for the remarkable bond that has developed between Ryan and Caitlin Holdren and Petey, a member of the CCPA learning community since kindergarten. The way Ryan and Caitlin welcomed Petey into their home, especially during such a difficult time after the loss of his family members, is a testament to their compassion and selflessnes," Mathews said in a statement to "GMA." "This unique connection, forged through love, care, and mutual support, highlights the true meaning of community that we strive for at CCPA. Petey has undoubtedly enriched their lives as much as they have his, and their story is a beautiful example of the enduring strength of family, both by blood and by choice. Their journey together is truly inspiring, and it reminds us all of the incredible power of connection, resilience, and love."
Ryan Holdren, now an assistant principal and the head varsity football coach at CCPA, said he has watched firsthand as Petey achieved both academic and personal success on his own.
"This is all on Petey. His success is what he made it and we're just trying to help along the way," Ryan Holdren said, adding, "Like I always tell him, the world is his."
Caitlin Holdren added that while she knows Petey will "excel" in college, she is already worried about the hole his absence will bring -- just like any other parent with a high school senior.
"I would be lying if I said like there isn't a selfish part of me that doesn't want him to go super far away, just because our house is going to be different," she said. "We'll miss him, miss him and Everett together, but I'm excited for wherever he chooses, what's right for him."
