Crooksville Rides Emotional Rollercoaster to Comeback Victory

CROOKSVILLE, OH – Maybe a more emotional scene at Ceramic Stadium than can be put into words, but the Crooksville football team used an emotional end to the week in a 39-33 defeat of Meadowbrook.

The Crooksville community lost a sophomore student in the early hours of Thursday morning, a tragedy which sent shockwaves throughout the Ceramic community. The team was unsure whether the initially scheduled game against the Colts would take place, but after a team meeting earlier in the day on Friday, the Ceramics mustered all their emotions to honor their fallen comrade.

The pregame scene in Perry County was moving from start to finish, with bracelets, shirts, and signs everywhere you looked around the stadium. The final act before the game started might have been the most touching to honor the lost Ceramic student. All students, athletes, and band members (from both teams) gathered at midfield for a student-led prayer, one which brought the emotions and tears from nearly all involved.

Somehow after that, there was still a football game to be played, and it could not have started in more poetic fashion. On the first play from scrimmage, junior quarterback Brayson Hill scampered 57 yards to the end zone, after which, he was met with warm embraces from teammates and head coach Marcus Pardon-Dudash.

While the Colts would respond with a pair of touchdowns soon after, the script for this emotional story was far from over. The two teams battled the rest of the way with three lead changes and two ties over the course of the second half. The Ceramics finally took k the lead for good, just under ninety seconds into the fourth quarter with a 77-yard touchdown run from Hill, before holding off the Colts for a memorable win.

Hill accounted for all six touchdowns in the ball game, five on the ground, for 344 total yards.

The obituary can be found here, and there remain ways to help the grieving Crooksville family by donating through this link.