Sanford Seminole's Demetrius Artis works to be leader at FAMU, home

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Life hasn't exactly been easy for Demetrius Artis.

The Florida A&M redshirt freshman linebacker doesn't complain. He battles.

That's the way of life in Sanford and that's what Maurice Artis taught his two sons, Demetrius and DeMarco, who have refined their football skills on the fields of Seminole High.

Maurice Artis, however, was not there to watch Demetrius play his senior year of high school football. The elder Artis passed away in his sleep in 2013, a victim of natural causes at the age of 40. Demetrius Artis found his father that morning. It will stick with him the rest of his life.

"It was a devastating moment. It still is devastating," Demetrius said. "It gets hard to deal with, but you gotta keep pushing and do what would make him happy."

Demetrius Artis was suddenly the man of the house. His grandmother moved in to help out with the three children, older sister DeMaria, Demetrius and youngest DeMarco, but it wasn't easy living without their father.

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