Chesnee Strong: Football pregame ceremony honors high school students who died in car crash
CHESNEE — Three days after an automobile accident took the lives of three Chesnee High School students, the community gathered Monday night at the football stadium to pay its respects and to somehow continue on with a game.
In a ceremony prior to Chesnee's rescheduled matchup against Landrum, there was a tribute and moments of silence. A banner with the logos of both teams and the words “Chesnee Strong” was shown to the crowd at midfield before being taped to a railing in front of the student section.
Players on both teams wore “Chesnee Strong” stickers on their helmets. The flag was at half-staff. The invocation was done by a student in the press box, a wavering voice, full of emotion.
The original schedule had Landrum playing at Chesnee at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29. The crash happened Friday afternoon.
“It’s just heartbreaking,” said AmyRae Breitenbach, president of the Chesnee student body. “I was with some friends when we heard the news, and it was just shocking.”
Breitenbach said the Chesnee family has come together.
“All of our community has supported each other through everything,” she said. “On Saturday, there were two meetings at the bus loop here. The first was a prayer circle with local pastors. The second meeting was also a prayer circle, but it was also a candle-lighting. Some of the friends and parents spoke. There has been a lot of love and support.”
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Chesnee football pregame ceremony honors students who died in car crash
