Wylie High Coach’s Quick Action Saves Baby During Tournament Trip
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Wylie High Coach’s Quick Action Saves Baby During Tournament Trip
Photo courtesy of Wylie High School senior Yasmin Salvador.
What began as a routine trip back to the hotel after a basketball game turned into a moment of heroism for Stephen Pearce, Wylie High School varsity boys basketball coach.
Coach Pearce sprang into action to save a baby who had wandered into busy traffic while traveling with his basketball team in Pasadena, Texas. This act likely prevented a tragedy.
“We were leaving the game, going back to the hotel,” Pearce said. “From maybe a 100-foot distance, I saw a baby getting closer to the street.”
Coach Pearce described watching in disbelief as the child, wearing only a diaper, made its way toward the street during rush-hour traffic.
“The baby was so small that it couldn’t step down from the curb,” Pearce said. “It sat on the curb and used its arms to get up off the curb. Everyone was honking their horns. The baby started freaking out and stopped right in front of our bus. To my right, I could see cars zoom by. If the baby would have taken another step or two, that would have been it.”
Pearce helps demonstrate the frantic moment: The hand sanitizer is the bus, the paperclip is the baby and the blue pen is oncoming traffic that wouldn’t have seen the baby, if it weren’t for Pearce scooping it up.
The school bus, driven by Wylie ISD Bus Driver Janie Del Bosque, came to a stop just in time.
“I grabbed the baby and handed it over to its grandma, who came running out of the house after it,” Pearce said.
The entire moment unfolded in seconds and was witnessed by several members of the Wylie ISD team traveling together, including assistant coaches, parents, and players.
“We all saw it as it was happening,” Pearce said.
Parents of one of Pearce’s basketball players, Andie and Brandon Doty, were traveling right behind the bus in their personal vehicle.
“We left the game to go to our hotel, which was only a few minutes away,” Andie said. “There were houses right next to the road, two lanes on either side, with a median in the middle. Brandon shouted, ‘There’s a baby!’ I said, ‘A baby what?’ Brandon said, ‘A baby!’”
Andie and Brandon watched as Pearce reacted instantly.
“I see Pearce jump off the bus and scoop the child up,” Andie said. “At that time, the mom comes running from the shopping center, and the grandma comes running frantically from the house. It was maybe a 1–2 year old toddling down the street with a bottle in its mouth in rush hour traffic.”
Brandon said it was a scary scene to watch unfold.
“I thought Coach Pearce swung into action and caused the entire ordeal to end as quickly as possible,” Brandon said.
Photos courtesy of Wylie High School senior Yasmin Salvador.
Despite the attention that followed, including a shoutout in the superintendent’s employee newsletter, Coach Pearce insists he was simply doing what anyone would do.
“It just happened. It was crazy,” Pearce said. “It was one of those deals that if anybody saw what we saw, they would have done the same thing if they were in my position.”
Still, the story spread quickly through the Wylie ISD athletics community. Though Coach Pearce typically prefers to stay out of the spotlight, his assistant coaches enjoyed circulating Dr. Spicer’s shoutout throughout the boys basketball program.
For Wylie ISD, the moment reflects more than quick thinking; it reflects the district’s values.
Coach Pearce’s actions exemplify what it means to be the Wylie Way: leadership beyond the classroom, care beyond the court, and a commitment to doing the right thing.
- WHS