Jason and Alicia Mertens lost their youngest son after he died almost 2,000 miles from their Northern Kentucky home.Now, the couple is starting a scholarship fund in his honor.
Zach Mertens, 20, was on vacation with his best friend at Oregon's Silver Falls State Park on Aug. 10 when he fell from the top of a waterfall. The Bellevue High School graduate didn’t care for flowers, his mom said, but she knows he would love that that his parents are giving another student a chance to thrive.
The Zach Mertens Memorial Scholarship will help student athletes at Bellevue High School continue their education through college or trade school, Mertens’ mom said. An eligible scholarship candidate needs to exhibit the same courageous and compassionate spirit
that Mertens did in his life.
“Zach was a kind soul.” Mertens’ mom said. “For us to be able to provide this scholarship for another student athlete means the world to us.”
Zach Mertens was surrounded by friends
More than 450 people signed the guest book at Mertens’ funeral Aug. 18.
Even when Mertens wasn't home, his mom said his friends would be in his room, playing games, waiting for him to return.
"That's the kind of area we live in," Mertens' dad said about Southgate and Bellevue in Northern Kentucky.
As a basketball player on clubs and school teams since the first grade and a cross-country runner until high school, Mertens' dad, who was also his club basketball coach, said his son had a lot of friends.
When Mertens' club team had to travel for a basketball tournament, his older brother RJ Mertens, his grandparents and the families of all the other players would come with. The crew would book 15 hotel rooms for one tournament, Mertens' mom said.
The support he gained in school and the surrounding community is part of why his parents are creating this scholarship, according to his dad. "They did really well for Zach," he said.
Mertens' dedication led to basketball prowess
Mertens decided against playing basketball his senior year because of a problematic ankle, but he still had four years of varsity play at the high school.
Instead of finishing up at Southgate Public School, Mertens attended Bellevue High School for his eighth-grade year. By the end of his season playing with the high schoolers, Mertens was a varsity player.
“He was a very driven kid," Mertens' dad said. "That good kid that you knew would do anything to help you, really. And if he wanted it, he would go get it."
The Enquirer featured Mertens in eight articles throughout his varsity years, once labeling him as a statistical leader among Greater Cincinnati high school basketball players in 2024.
"He was really one of a kind. You don’t get too many kids with his ability and demeanor that you come across very often," said former varsity basketball coach and Bellevue Independent Schools Athletic Director Jim Hicks. "He worked so hard. He loved the game."
At the end of his high school career, Mertens placed eighth on the school's all-time scoring list with over 1,300 points. Hicks said Mertens was a good basketball player and an even better person.
Mertens loved his family and the outdoors
Mertens loved everything, his mom said. "He loved his friends. He loved, loved, loved his family. He loved his girlfriend beyond words. They had been together since seventh grade. He was just so caring.”
After graduating in 2025, Mertens worked as a pool technician for Mid-American Pools. It was a job he truly enjoyed, his mom said. He even got his brother to work with him.
As a lover of mountains, Mertens had plans to move to Colorado with his girlfriend after she graduated college, his mom said.
The Mertens family loves hiking and camping. The Red River Gorge is their favorite spot to visit together.
A trip to Oregon had been a goal for Mertens and his best friend for years.
"They wanted to see the parks in Oregon because they are the most beautiful in the United States, and so they finally went," his mom said.
"He was just a kid that wanted to go to the park and look at the waterfall," his dad said.
In lieu of flowers, donate to scholarship fund
Along with his parents and older brother, Mertens is survived by his grandparents, aunts and uncles, four cousins, two nieces, friends and his girlfriend.
In lieu of flowers, donate to the Zach Martens Memorial Scholarship online at Zach Mertens Memorial Scholarship - Bellevue Independent Schools or via check to Bellevue Independent Schools at 219 Center St. in Bellevue. Write "Zach Mertens Memorial Scholarship Fund" in the memo line.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Student athlete fund started after Bellevue HS graduate dies in Oregon
