A Longview family is reeling following the death of their teenage son, who drowned earlier this month while attempting to cross the Cowlitz River.
Zander Anthony James Medina, 15, of Longview disappeared under the surface of the river near Lexington on Saturday, Aug. 12, after attempting to swim across it with two other youths.
In describing her son, Heather Medina told The Daily News he had beautiful eyelashes and wrote in his obituary that he had a “fearless personality,” plus a smile that was contagious — to the point it “made it impossible to tell him no.”
He was very funny, and he could get everybody laughing all the time, she said. And if Zander Medina “wasn’t taking his friends on an adventure, he would have a pole in the water,” Heather Medina wrote about her son’s love of fishing.
He loved it so much, he would skip school to go fishing, Heather Medina said.
Zander Medina had a deep passion for sports and was an exceptional athlete. As a ninth-grader, he played both wide receiver and cornerback for R.A Long High School’s junior varsity football team.
He also played in basketball tournaments, according to his mother.
Basketball was his sport of choice. That’s what he played all through the summer with his friends, his mother said.
“Zander was a good teammate,” said R.A Long High football coach Jon Barker, who added Zander Medina was “more reserved” while among his teammates.
Fellow teammates first informed Barker of Zander Medina’s passing. He later confirmed the information with school administration. Barker said there had been discussions in the off-season about Zander Medina playing a bigger role on the team, or as he put it, “helping the program on Friday nights.”
The National Weather Service reported that the temperature reached a high of 87 degrees on the day of the incident, and Heather Medina told The Daily News that the details surrounding the event are not entirely known.
She did not know her son was even at the river that day, only that he was with his friends from school.
According to the news release at the time, Cowlitz County deputies, Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue and the Cowlitz County Dive Team were dispatched at about 6:15 p.m. Aug. 12 to the Cowlitz River in the Lexington area upon receiving reports a 15-year-old boy was struggling to cross the river.
Zander Medina and two other young swimmers turned back midway due to strong river currents, according to reports.
A bystander witnessed two of the three youths struggling to reach shore. The individual leaped into the water but could only help one swimmer, authorities said. Zander Medina disappeared under the water.
The Cowlitz County Dive Team would later recover the teenager’s body.
“Unfortunately, these tragic events take place every year; it is always difficult and even more so when it happens locally,” Bryan Ditterick, public information officer for Cowlitz 2 Fire and Rescue, said via email.
Ditterick offers this advice for those who plan on swimming in the river:
• Avoid the consumption of alcohol.
• Wear a life jacket.
• Be mindful of the water’s temperature.
• Know local currents.
• Be aware of your physical limits and of those among you.
Zander Medina’s funeral was Friday, Aug 25, and he was laid to rest on Saturday, Aug 26.
Barker said the team will be wearing a sticker of Zander Medina’s jersey number, No. 14, on their helmets for the upcoming season.
He is survived by his parents Heather and Caleb Medina, three sisters — Jasmynn, Amaiyah, and Maecii — two grandmothers, cousins, aunts, uncles and friends.
“He left an extraordinary impact on everyone he had come across,” his obituary reads.
