Winning Attitude Medical Lake Athlete Emery Meeks Uses Sports As A Healthy Outlet From A Troubled Family History

Emery Meeks’ battles go far beyond the football field or the basketball court.

And those who know him say he’s doing plenty of winning.

The Medical Lake High senior fights to block out what his parents have done. He fights to remain focused on the present - his new family, football, school, planning for college.

Meeks’ father, Ray, is in prison for murder. He stabbed Meeks’ mother’s best friend when Meeks was a little boy living in Tacoma, Meeks said.

This summer, Meeks saw his mother for the first time in six years. Kathy Angier now lives in Tampa, Fla., and is trying to build a new life that’s free of drugs, her son said.

Meeks already has built a new life.

To watch this physically gifted 6-foot-2, 215-pounder walk the halls at school, you’d never suspect a background so scarred.

He keeps it to himself. His teammates don’t know his history. Same goes for his classmates.

Meeks knows he can’t change his parents’ actions.

After the murder, he lived with his mother while she struggled with drug use. His father broke out of prison twice, both times ending up at Meeks’ house in Tacoma. Those are the only two memories Meeks has of his dad.

The family moved to Rhode Island after seven years, but Meeks left when he was in seventh grade for a better life in Medical Lake.

He lived with his older sister, Leanna, who was stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, and his younger brother, Jeremy. He moved in with a Medical Lake family the spring of his sophomore year. and his sister was later transferred to California. Jeremy went with her.

There have never been birthday cards or Christmas gifts.

Not even holiday phone calls. Meeks met his father’s side of the family only seven years ago.

And his mom?

“She’s always been selfish,” he said.

Yet he refuses to think about all this stuff. He copes by blocking it out.

“He seems to have his act together,” said Cardinals football coach John Giannandrea. “In his earlier years, he had a few problems with his temper, but he has controlled himself and matured quite a bit.

“We all grow up. Some of us just take longer than others.”

A life change

Meeks met Tricia Nilles and changed his life.

Nilles was a substitute teacher at Medical Lake and introduced him to the outreach ministry Young Life.

She also introduced him to her older sister, Tammy Tareski. Tareski and her husband Mike took Meeks in a year and a half ago and consider him their fourth child.

For the first time that Meeks can remember, there is someone in the house when he arrives home from school or football practice.

The Tareskis have been patient with Meeks. Meeks says he lacks people skills, and that can be difficult for others to understand.

“Just like saying goodbye or good night - he didn’t know how to do that; he didn’t ever say that,” Tammy said. “He has his struggles.

“He has never really had anyone to talk to. He’s getting better about talking about his feelings.”

Meeks, whom Tammy believes holds much of his pain inside, helps Mike with his business of welding and rebuilding engines. And Mike helped Meeks buy a car.

Athletics as an outlet

Sports have provided a release for Meeks.

When he’s upset or angry, he usually walks outside and grabs a basketball. Or he throws the football around with the Tareski’s sons - Nick, 15, and Tanner, 12.

“I’m just having fun and forget my problems,” he said of his mood when he’s participating in sports.

Meeks is one of the Cardinals’ top running backs and, along with Alexis Alexander, helps provide a powerful one-two punch to their ground attack.

He earned first-team all-Great Northern League honors on offense last fall and was named to the second-team defense at linebacker. He also was a first-team pick in basketball, his favorite sport.

Meeks started at linebacker as a freshman but didn’t turn out for football the next season because his heart wasn’t in it. He said that as a sophomore he would show up drunk at games.

Medical Lake went on to place third in state without him.

Meeks missed out. He missed his friends. He missed the competition.

His pads were back on in ‘98.

Giannandrea says Meeks has become a team leader. He is always willing to help others and is open to constructive criticism from the coaching staff.

Athleticism runs in the Meeks family. His father was a boxer. His uncle played on three professional football teams.

So Meeks was born with ability.

He doesn’t practice outside of practice. He isn’t on a weight-lifting program, yet he bench-pressed 130 pounds when he was 9.

“I don’t know why I’m so good,” he said. “People say I’m cocky, but I just have the mentality that I know I can do certain things.”

Giannandrea also knows.

“I don’t think there’s anything he can’t do,” the coach said. “He didn’t run track for us last year, but he would be a great hurdler, maybe even league champion.

“I think he’s finding himself and has a lot further to go. I don’t think he’s reached his potential, and I don’t think he realizes his potential.”

Meeks hopes that potential will earn him a spot on a college football roster somewhere. And, if he could work it, he’d love to play basketball, too.

With his strength and speed, Meeks could be a good fit at linebacker in college, Giannandrea said.

And, someday, he hopes to meet his father again.

“My sister says I remind her of my dad, and I hate that,” Meeks said. “But it’s like I love him and I don’t know why.”