Sanger community mourns Musgrave and Martinez

The Sanger ISD community is rallying around three of its families following a vehicle accident late last week that killed two cross country athletes and left another seriously injured.

Sam Musgrave — a Class of 2025 Sanger alumnus who was on the track and field team at Incarnate Word — died at the scene of the accident, which occurred Thursday night (May 28) on FM 455 East and Lake Crest Drive in Sanger shortly after 10 p.m.  SAM MUSGRAVE OBIT ON PAGE 2 OF JUNE 5, 2026 SANGER NEWS (CURRENT ISSUE). Sanger High junior Daniel Martinez died May 30 at the hospital from injuries sustained in the accident, also. Family, friends, classmates and community members showed up to honor Martinez on Wednesday afternoon.  They lined the hallways in honor of Daniel as he was taken to surgery for organ donation.  This was a special time to celebrate his life, honor his legacy and stand with his family.  Martinez’s obit will be available on the Coker Funeral Home website later this week at www.cokerfuneralhome.com.

Sanger junior Angel Zepeda was also seriously injured in the accident but has since been released from the hospital. GoFundMe pages have been created to help all three families. See page 14 for more details on how to help.

Sanger ISD released a statement Friday morning (May 29) following the accident.

“It is with deep sorrow that we share the tragic news that three members of our Sanger ISD cross country family were involved in a serious vehicle accident last night,” Sanger ISD superintendent Tommy Hunter said in the statement. “One student, a 2025 graduate of Sanger High School, sadly passed away at the scene of the accident. Two additional Sanger High School students were transported to the hospital for medical care.

“This heartbreaking tragedy has impacted our entire school community, and our thoughts and prayers are with the students, their families, friends, classmates, and everyone affected.”

Musgrave was a three-time qualifier for the state cross country meet in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Martinez qualified for the state cross country meet three times in 2023, 2024 and 2025 along with a trip to the state track and field meet last month. Zepeda was part of Sanger’s 2025 state-qualifying cross country team that also won district and regional championships.

At just 19 years old, Musgrave had already completed Texas Army National Guard basic training and finished his first semester at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, said his uncle, Evan Vasquez to Fox 4 News DFW.

Back home in Sanger, Musgrave was known as a runner, teammate and friend.

“He was on the right track,” Vasquez said. “He finished boot camp for the Texas National Guard. He finished his first semester at Incarnate Word in San Antonio. He had a strong community here in Sanger. He was loved by everybody. Anybody he came in contact with, he made friends with.”

The University of the Incarnate Word track and cross-country program released a statement mourning Musgrave’s death, saying his smile and love for others would be missed.

Vasquez said Musgrave excelled both on and off the track.

“He ran cross-country here at the high school. He excelled in cross-country. He excelled in track,” Vasquez said. “He was on a full ride for track at Incarnate Word.”

But despite the outpouring of support, Musgrave’s family says they’re still struggling with unanswered questions.

“We don’t really know what’s happened,” Vasquez said. “We’ve tried to get answers. We’ve tried to get closure. I think it’s just been grief that’s been added by the lack of answers and the lack of information.”

Authorities have not publicly released what caused the crash. Information about the other victims and whether anyone else was involved has also not been officially released, as the investigation continues.

For now, Musgrave’s family is holding on to memories of the goals he hoped to achieve.

“He had big dreams to run cross-country, own his own business, serve his country, serve his family, protect his family and protect his country,” Vasquez said. “Unfortunately, that was taken from us.”

The Musgrave family is also raising money to help cover unexpected expenses following his death.  See GoFund Me information below:

Sanger ISD Assistant Superintendent Jennie Flaa shared some insight on the Prayer Gathering at Sanger High School on her FaceBook Page:

“On Sunday night, during the prayer gathering for Sam and Daniel, four young men from Gainesville shared a message that deeply resonated with me as a former athlete and educator.

They came to pay their respects to two athletes who had once been their rivals. What struck me most was not that they competed against one another, but how they spoke about that competition. They shared that Sam and Daniel had made them better athletes—pushing them to train harder, compete with greater purpose, and strive for a higher level.

More importantly, they spoke about how those rivalries strengthened their character and deepened their faith. Hearing such maturity, perspective, and gratitude from young men in the midst of tragedy was incredibly moving.

One of the greatest gifts of competition is that it challenges us to become more than we thought we could be. Sometimes the people who have the greatest influence on our lives are not those who stand beside us, but those who stand across from us and inspire us to be better.

Gainesville has long been a rival of Sanger, but this week, we are not separated by school colors or community lines. We are united in honoring two young men whose influence reached far beyond their own team and community.

One of my lasting memories of Sam and Daniel will be that they made people better. Their example, determination, work ethic, faith, and character inspired others to raise their standards and become more than they thought possible. Perhaps the greatest testament to their lives is that athletes from another town felt compelled to stand and share how much they had been impacted.

I left that gathering with a deep appreciation for the young men who spoke and for the Gainesville community that helped shape them. Their words reflected a level of character, humility, and perspective that should make their families, coaches, schools, and community proud.

Sam and Daniel did not just leave memories behind—they left a standard of character, faith, and purpose that challenges all of us to live better, compete better, and love others more deeply.

Heaven has gained two faithful servants in Sam and Daniel, and we are better for having witnessed their lives here.”

SHS Cross Country Coach Tanner Rankin coached these two young men in high school.  His wife Shelby shared an inspirational message about their faith on FaceBook:

“As a coach’s wife, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know many of the athletes my husband pours his heart and soul into every day. Sam and Daniel were two of those young men who quickly became impossible not to love.

Sam was a quiet, steady leader. He was always ‘yes ma’am’ and ‘no ma’am,’ and carried himself with a humility that naturally earned the respect of everyone around him. Daniel had a joy about him that was contagious. He always seemed to be smiling, always making people laugh, and always finding a way to bring light into whatever room he walked into.

But what stands out most to me wasn't who they were when I first met them… it was who they became.

In 2024, they started coming to church with a group of friends. Every week after service, they would hang around talking with Tanner. Then they joined student ministry, started discipleship classes, and began learning more about what it meant to follow Jesus.

Watching them be baptized is something I will never forget.

People talk about life change, but with Sam and Daniel, you could actually see it. It wasn't subtle. It wasn't performative. It was real. The way they spoke, the way they treated people, the way they carried themselves, it all pointed back to Jesus.

They led their cross-country team in prayer before meets. They gave God the glory whether they won or lost. I'd look over during worship and see two teenage boys completely focused on Jesus, not worried about who was watching or what anyone thought. And honestly, I remember thinking more than once that I wished I had possessed even half of that faith and boldness when I was their age.

From the outside looking in, I was in awe. Tanner got to walk alongside them daily and undoubtedly has countless stories to tell, but even from my perspective, it was impossible not to see what God was doing in their lives.

I've spent the last few days trying to find the right words, and the truth is, I still don't have them.

The loss of Sam and Daniel has shaken me deeply. It feels unfair. It hurts. And like so many others, I've found myself asking questions I don't have answers to.

But as I've watched our community rally around their families and listened to story after story from people whose lives were touched by these two young men, one thing has become abundantly clear: they lived lives that mattered. They loved people well. They pointed others toward Jesus. And they left a legacy far bigger than their years.

(“Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.’” — John 11:25–26)

Right now, that promise is the only thing that brings peace to my heart.

I miss them. I grieve for their families. I hate that they're no longer here with us.

But I also know this: Sam and Daniel knew Jesus. They loved Him, followed Him, and weren't afraid to live that out for everyone to see. While our hearts ache here on earth, they are whole, healed, and home with their Heavenly Father.

And somehow, in the middle of all this heartbreak, that's the hope I'm holding onto.”