A special football game brought fans together to remember Tristyn Bailey and Kyle Lambert, two children whose lives were lost years apart but who remained connected through the Patriot Oaks Academy community.
ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The stadium was filled with bright lights and the sound of a cheering crowd Wednesday night. Yet the gathering carried a deeper purpose than the game itself: honoring two young lives and supporting the families left behind.
Family members, friends and supporters attended a remembrance matchup between Patriot Oaks Academy and Fruit Cove Middle School. The event paid tribute to Tristyn Bailey and Kyle Lambert, two children remembered by the same school community.
Tristyn was 13 when she was killed in May 2021. She had been a cheerleader at Patriot Oaks Academy.
Kyle, 12, died in February 2026 after a vehicle hit the motorized bike he was riding near Patriot Oaks Academy.
The crowd reflected both families’ colors, with supporters wearing aqua for Tristyn and red for Kyle.
Forrest Bailey, Tristyn’s father, said it meant a great deal to see the community unite for both children, even though their deaths occurred years apart.
Having endured the loss of his own daughter, Forrest Bailey understands the devastation of losing a child. Seeing the Lambert family face a similar tragedy has made their grief feel especially close to home.
“There’s no easy time when you’ve lost a child. And when you watch another family go through it, it brings everything back,” he said.
He said the compassion of friends and neighbors can help families endure the pain, which is why remembrance events like the game carry such importance.
“You have to lean on each other,” Bailey said. “When the community shows up to grieve alongside you and remember your children with you, that’s what helps.”
Over the years, the Bailey family has continued to make honoring Tristyn part of local games and community gatherings.
Players received aqua baskets as a tribute to Tristyn, while red ribbons were distributed in Kyle’s memory.
Stacy Bailey, Tristyn’s mother, said acts of generosity and remembrance allow the family to keep her daughter’s legacy present.
“When we give back and continue saying her name, we help keep her memory alive,” she said.
The remembrance continues Friday when the Bailey family returns for the Creekside High School and Bartram Trail football game.
That game will honor Tristyn and Trenton Stewart, an 18-year-old Creekside graduate who was killed in a head-on collision in May 2023.
