Sea of red fills stadium as communities unite after fatal car crash

CRESTON - The camera crews from multiple networks, people donning red ribbons, the red bow ties and a sea of red regardless of which school you were from, said it all on Saturday evening.

This clearly wasn't just another game between Wayne County Athletic League rivals Chippewa and Norwayne, this was something bigger.

On Friday afternoon, a one-car crash claimed the life of a Norwayne youth and injured four others , according to Ohio State Highway Patrol. Aurora Krahenbuhl of Creston, 14, died at the scene.

A GoFundMe page has been created to help the family.

The football game, which was homecoming, was postponed to Saturday.

There was some normalcy like Mason Moyer racing to the house, Dylan Smith breaking free up the middle and for many in Bobcat Nation, there was the win, 49-7.

Yet this night belonged to the memory of Aurora Krahenbuhl, her family, those injured, and everyone affected by Friday afternoon's tragic event.

"I am proud of the way our guys have handled this tragedy within our community," said Norwayne coach Adam Indorf. "It's a loss that some of these guys still probably trying to decompress, to realize what is going on and are just coming to grips with it. In the days and weeks to come, we will have guys that handle it in different ways, they will mourn different ways, and we will be there for each of them."

In one of the most touching moments of the night, select members of the Chippewa band marched across the 40-yard line at halftime and presented members of the Bobcat band with bouquets of flowers. As they embraced, one could feel the power of the moment as the Chipp band then performed six pieces for the home faithful.

To close it out, two Chippewa students read a statement and then handed roses to anyone wanting one in the stands.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Krahenbuhl family and everyone in the community that's been affected by this tragedy," Indorf said. "We are so thankful of Chippewa, and how they have handled it, and the support that they have shown, from the red bands, the fans in red and the administration has been fabulous.

"The county as a whole has been great, we are going to go forward and try to get back to whatever normal will look like in the future."

On this night that sea of red that filled the stadium came in support of the Norwayne band, the school, the Krahenbuhl family, those injured and their families. They raised money for the Krahenbuhl family and the funeral expenses, T-shirts were sold with proceeds to support the family, while cheerleaders and band members accepted donations at tables setup in the stadium.

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"I don't know that they truly understand what that means, how that looks or what that did look like," said Indorf about the sea of red and overwhelming support in the stands. "There are people from everywhere, some from Sandusky, others from Bucyrus, really this is further than just Wayne County. It's unfortunate that there is a tragedy, but there are tremendous people everywhere, and they will come together for the betterment in light of a tragedy."

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Sea of red fills stadium as communities unite after fatal car crash