She was just 8. The only daughter of a college football coach—now confirmed among the dead at Camp Mystic after the Texas floods. He screamed her name in the rain, searched every small pink backpack, every soaked little shoe. But no one answered. When the last tiny sneaker was pulled from the water, he didn’t collapse. He didn’t cry. He just sat on the ground, holding the drenched stuffed animal she carried the day she left home. “I’ve coached hundreds of boys to be strong. To lose. To get back up. But no one ever taught me how to live after losing my daughter.” — Social media fell silent. And for the first time, millions prayed—not for a team, but for a father who just lost his entire world.

Kellyanne Lytal, the eight-year-old daughter of Trinity University assistant football coach Wade Lytal, was among the campers killed during this month’s horrifying flash flooding in central Texas, the school has confirmed.

‘Our entire community grieves with the Lytal family, to whom we extend our deepest sympathies and unwavering support,’ a spokesperson for Trinity University, a Division III college in San Antonio, wrote in a statement. ‘We know this loss will be felt across our campus and beyond.’

The Lytals were among the desperate families clinging to hope of finding their lost daughters after the Guadalupe River spilled over into Camp Mystic, where 27 campers and counsellors have now been confirmed dead about 85 miles away from San Antonio.

Trinity head coach Jerheme Urban and several players were seen contributing to the search efforts for the missing campers, according to San Antonio’s KSAT-TV.

‘Asking for all prayers for a miracle for my baby girl Kellyanne,’ Wade wrote on X alongside a video of Kellyanne singing a Christmas carol on stage.

‘She is still one of the Mystic Campers who is unaccounted for. I’ll never forget when she told me she had a lead solo in the Christmas Pageant. She is absolutely fearless.’

Wade is a graduate of Trinity who played on the football team’s offensive line. He’s now the team’s offensive coordinator.

He and his wife, Malorie, also have another daughter, Emmalynn.

The Lytals have since released a statement to Fox Digital.

‘She was kind, fearless, silly, compassionate, and a loving friend to everyone,’ the statement began. ‘Even though she was taken from us way too early, we thank God for the eight magical years we got to share with her.

‘Our family wants to thank everyone for their prayers and support during this difficult time. We are forever grateful for the men and women who are assisting in the Search and Rescue efforts.’

The death toll from the flash flooding has already reached 129 with 160 individuals still missing from central Texas.

The tragedy was a primary topic at this week’s Big 12 media days, where TCU coach Sonny Dykes and his players wore green ribbons to honor Camp Mystic.

Baylor football coach Dave Aranda described the flash floods as ‘a parent’s worst nightmare.’

‘It’s beyond tragedy,’ he said. ‘The last couple days, I have just really been struggling with that. My wife and I have been just keeping up with it and I just wanted to say that, you know, my heart is broken and the girls and the families affected are in my thoughts.’

President Donald Trump also discussed the Camp Mystic girls with reporters as he toured the wreckage before returning to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey for the weekend.

‘They were there because they loved God,’ Trump said of the campers at the century-old Christian camp. ‘And, as we grieve this unthinkable tragedy, we take comfort in the knowledge that God has welcomed those little beautiful girls into his comforting arms in heaven.’