Sharon HS Football Team Plays First Game After Tragic Accident
SHARON (KDKA) – The Sharon High School football team took to the field for the first time Monday, just a few days after two teammates were killed in a head-on crash.
Unfortunately they lost 22-19 during the snowy game in Erie, but teammates dedicated the game to the two teens they lost.
Students and faculty say the tragedy has helped to bring the community together, in support of the three people killed in the accident.
Monday before the game, Sharon High School held a rally for the football team still mourning the death of their teammates.
Players couldn't hide their sadness despite encouragement from classmates.
"To do that for them was sort of our way of saying, 'we're here for you, we love you, because you're our family,'" said Senior Class President Rick Hale.
The last three days have been difficult for the community after seniors Corey Swartz,17, and Evan Gill, 17, were both killed in an accident. Swartz was driving the SUV that crossed the center line, hitting and killing 53-year-old John Zdelar.
Troy Hejazi was a passenger in the SUV and the last person to see the two teens alive, before they dropped him off.
"It hurt me so much, I couldn't live with it, I didn't know what to do at that point," said Hejazi. "I was grieving like crazy and it just hurts that they're not here by my side anymore."
Sharon High School football players boarded the bus knowing that they won't have Swartz or Gill on the field, but they're dedicating the game to their memory.
Watch Christine D'Antonio's report:
"We just want to play hard and play as a team," said Trenton Mosley. "And play as Corey and Evan would want us to play."
Two other players were also injured in the accident and both still in the hospital.
RELATED LINKS
Sharon HS Football Players Remembered At Vigil
More Local News
