The Mount Pleasant community is mourning the loss of Gavin Brooks and his older sister, Morgan Brooks, after a head-on crash Sunday afternoon on U.S. Highway 271.
Gavin was a 16-year-old Mount Pleasant High School student and athlete who played varsity football for the Tigers. He had just completed his junior year and was heading into what should have been his senior season. Morgan, 21, was a 2023 Mount Pleasant graduate.
According to officials, troopers responded to the crash around 2:32 p.m. on June 21 near the Titus County line. Preliminary findings indicate Gavin was driving a Nissan Altima northbound when the vehicle crossed into the southbound lane and collided head-on with a Kenworth semi-truck.
Gavin and Morgan were both pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the semi, Simon Morales Gonzalez, 48, of Tyler, was taken to a local hospital with injuries.
Mount Pleasant ISD shared its condolences with the Brooks family, friends, teachers, classmates, and the entire Mount Pleasant community.
For the Tigers athletic program, Gavin’s loss reaches far beyond the field. He was remembered by Mount Pleasant Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Joe Cluley as an incredible young man who impacted his family, school, athletic program, and community.
Gavin was listed as a defensive player for Mount Pleasant and earned 7-5A Division II All-District recognition after the 2025 season. He also competed in other sports, making him part of the heartbeat of the Tigers’ athletic community.
This is the kind of loss no school, team, or family should ever have to face.
Two young lives are gone, and an entire community is grieving with the Brooks family.
