Warren Hills High School Senior Evan Murray, the star quarterback of the school’s football team, passed away after taking several hits during his team’s 14-12 loss to Summit High School last Friday Night. After a hit that took place right before halftime, teammates had to help Murray off the field to the sidelines, where he received treatment for his injury. He then was taken to Morristown Memorial Hospital via ambulance, and he passed away shortly after. An autopsy determined that the cause of Murray’s death was massive internal bleeding due to a ruptured spleen. There was no evidence of head trauma or heart disease found during the autopsy, so Murray’s death was deemed accidental.
This tragedy has led to an outpouring of support from all around the country. Taylor Coughlin, a junior at Warren Hills and a friend of Murray’s, started a GoFundMe account for Murray’s family. The account raised over $35,000 in less than 24 hours. Students, parents and staff from Warren Hills High School all gathered at the school’s football stadium to reflect on Murray’s life. Many memorials were created for Murray, whose funeral will be held in Washington Township at 11 AM on Thursday, October 1. One memorial was created at Murray’s parking spot at his school; students wrote Murray’s last name and jersey number in chalk and littered the spot with flowers, pictures and other items.
Additionally, many public figures showed their support for Murray’s family through Twitter. The New York Jets, former Giants WR Plaxico Burress, New Jersey governor Chris Christie, and Colts LB Trent Cole all posted tweets sending their condolences to Murray’s family. Along with the public figures, many of Murray’s teammates on Warren Hills’ football team shared their thoughts about the tragedy on Twitter. “You were more than a teammate to me,” one teammate said on Twitter. “You were a brother, I will never forget you & how much you impacted my life.”
Since Warren Hills and Bernards compete against each other in sports, this tragedy has resonated deeply with the Bernards High School community. In their first varsity sporting events after the tragedy, Warren Hills’ soccer teams played against Bernards. The girls’ team played their game at Warren Hills, and the boys’ team traveled to Olcott Field for an away game. The teams honored Murray by wearing black armbands, and a moment of silence was also held before each game. The girls’ team also gave Warren Hills a card, cookies, and flowers as gifts. Bernards won both games, with the girls winning 2-1 and the boys winning 2-0.
According to mycentraljersey.com, Riddell, the company that provides every mid-state 38 conference school with football helmets, has donated 6,000 #18 Blue Streak decals that every player will wear for the rest of the season. Bernards will wear these decals for the rest of the season.
In an announcement on Facebook, Voorhees High School said that their varsity football game at Warren Hills will still be played on Saturday Night. “Spectators going to the games are asked to wear Bluestreak blue & white to show Warren Hills that they have the support of the Voorhees community,” they said.
