TEX HS: Woodlands Varsity Lax Player Killed in Car Accident

Kody Soeder, a sophomore defenseman on The Woodlands varsity lacrosse team, has died in a car accident.

Soeder, 16, is the second high school lacrosse player from the Houston area, and the fourth in the Western United States, to die in a traffic accident in the last two months. Soeder, who had his driver’s license for about month, according to published reports, crashed his GMC truck into a tree at about 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning.

Police told local media outlets that it appeared Soeder fell asleep at the wheel.

“Like any parent at this point, all I can say is to be safe when driving,” Kody’s father Kevin Soeder told the Conroe Courier News. “Maybe other kids can learn to take their time and be safe.”

The Woodlands will honor Kody Soeder during its upcoming game at Strake Jesuit on Friday. All teams from the two schools, from the junior high teams to the varsity, will assemble on the field for a moment of silence. In February, 16-year-old Strake Jesuit JV player Charles Alford died in a similar, one-vehicle wreck.

An annual scholarship fund will be started in Soeder’s honor and awarded each season, the school has announced in a news release.

“There is no replacing a fine young man like Kody Soeder,” read part of a message sent to the entire Woodlands lacrosse community. “He will be remembered every day by all of us.”

Two high school lacrosse players in Southern California -- Zachary Raffety, 17, and Nicholas Rosser, 18 -- have also been killed in traffic accidents this season.