Ekkapol Chanthawong, the assistant football coach trapped with 12 younger boys in a cave in Thailand, has been credited with keeping his young charges alive.

The 25-year-old coach is the only adult in the group of boys and teenagers, whose ages range from 11 to 16 years old.

Parents refuse to blame assistant coach

Even as Thai social media is torn with some praising Ekkapol for helping the younger boys survive in darkness, others have blamed him for their predicament as he took them on an outing to the caves during the monsoon season that eventually saw them get trapped inside.

However, parents of the trapped younger boys have refused to blame Ekkapol, whose name has been spelt as Ekapol in some reports.

Affectionately called "Ake", the assistant coach was orphaned and had a rough upbringing.

Ekkapol was just 10 years old when he lost his entire family.

His seven-year-old brother died, followed by his mother, then his father a year later, due to an illness that swept through their home.

Sad and lonely, as his aunt describes him, the little boy was then sent two years later to a Buddhist monastery, as Thai tradition dictates.

He grew into a “physically and mentally strong” man who would be doing everything he could to keep his young charges alive and calm, his aunt told The Australian.

She described her nephew, popularly known as "Coach Ake", as a “merciful man” who helps out in a monastery and would do anything to help people and is devoted to his young team.

Taught boys to meditate

She said Ake taught the boys in the cave to do their meditation, which allowed them to conserve energy.

The first time the English divers found the boys, they were meditating -- after being lost for nine days.

The boys told the rescuers that Ake taught them how to meditate to preserve the energy in their bodies.

“I know he would be keeping the boys calm and happy. He loves those boys very much because he lost his father when he was very young,” Ake's aunt said.

A widely-shared cartoon drawing of Ekkapol shows him sitting cross-legged, as a monk does in meditation, with 12 little wild boars in his arms.

Spent time coaching football team

Ekkapol left the monastery to care for his ailing grandmother in Mae Sai in northern Thailand, The Washington Post reported.

There, he split his time between working as a temple hand at a monastery and training the newly established Moo Pa team, also known as "Wild Boars".

Ekkapol treated the boys well. Many of them had grown up poor or were stateless ethnic minorities, common in this border area between Myanmar and Thailand.

“He loved them more than himself,” a longtime friend of Ekapol’s said.

“He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t smoke. He was the kind of person who looked after himself and who taught the kids to do the same.”

“I know him, and I know he will blame himself,” said another of Ekkapol's friend at the monastery.

Rewarded the team

Ekkapol helped his head coach devise a system to motivate the boys to excel academically using their passion for football.

They would be rewarded with football gear, such as fresh studs for their cleats or a new pair of shorts, if they got certain grades.

The two coaches spent time looking for sponsors and used the Moo Pa team to prove to the boys that they could become something more, or even professional athletes.

The head coach said Ekkapol would ferry the boys to and from home when their parents could not and took responsibility for them as if they were his own family.

He also kept the boys on a strict training schedule. That included biking across the hills that surround Mae Sai.

On the fateful day the team got lost, Ekkapol was tasked with bringing the team to a football field nestled by the Doi Nang Non mountain range that straddles the Thai-Myanmar border. It is a formation with numerous waterfalls and caves.

Ekkapol is weakest in the group

According to rescue officials, Ekkapol is among the weakest in the group.

This could be due to him giving the boys his share of the limited food and water they had with them in the early days.

He also taught the boys how to meditate and how to conserve as much energy as possible until they were found.

“If he didn’t go with them, what would have happened to my child?” said the mother of Pornchai Khamluang, one of the boys in the cave, in an interview with a Thai television network.

“When he comes out, we have to heal his heart. My dear Ek, I would never blame you.”

In a letter addressed to parents of the boys, Ekkapol wrote: “To all the parents, all the kids are still fine. I promise to take the very best care of the kids.”

The note was given to a diver on Friday, and published on the Thai Navy SEAL Facebook page on Saturday.

“Thank you for all the moral support and I apologise to the parents.”

“To my grandma and aunt, I’m here. Don’t be too worried. Please take care,” he added in the letter.

A joint letter from the parents to coach Ekapol "Ake" Chanthawong:

"To Coach Ake,

Every dad and mom would like to ask Coach Ake to look after everyone. Coach Ake, don't blame yourself. We want you to be relieved. Every dad and mom isn't angry with you at all. And everyone understands and encourage you. Thank you for looking after the boys. Coach Ake went inside with them then you must come out, bringing them out safely as well."

Ake's reply to the parents:

"To the parents of all the kids, right now the kids are all fine, the crews are taking good care. I promise I will care for the kids as best as possible. I want to say thanks for all the support and I want to apologise to the parents."

Ake's letter to his own aunt and grandmother:

"To my aunt and grandmother, I am doing well, please don't be too worried about me. Take care of yourselves. Aunt. Please tell grandmother to make vegetable dip and pork rind. Once I'm out, I'll go eat. Love everyone."