Trying to cope : Homecoming will feel different in Gravette tonight with junior lineman Casey Russell's death weighing on everyone's mind.

Family, friends and Gravette High School students came out to pay their respects Wednesday evening at a candlelight vigil for Gravette football player Casey Russell, who died early Wednesday morning.
Family, friends and Gravette High School students came out to pay their respects Wednesday evening at a candlelight vigil for Gravette football player Casey Russell, who died early Wednesday morning.

— Without a single word, Gravette football coach Bill Harrelson'sface spoke volumes Thursday morning. His eyes stared through the floor beneath his feet as he walked, slowly, down the hall.

His was a look of a heavy dose of sorrowconfusion and - still, nearly 24 hours later - shock.

It's homecomingweek at Gravette High School.

And in this northwest Arkansassmall town, that should carry quite a bit of excitement and energy. It's a close-knit community, school district and, as demonstrated the past couple of football seasons, on the football field.

No amount of unity can fully deflect the devastating news that spread through Gravette late Wednesday morning.

"At the beginning of the week, everyone was talking about homecoming, the game - everything," said Zach Griffin, a Gravette sophomore and member of the homecoming planning committee.

"But when we found out (Wednesday), everythingjust got quiet. It still is."

The death of junior Casey Russell, a second-year starting right tackle on the Lions varsity football team, cast the blanket of sorrow over the community. Less than 24 hours earlier, a trip to the doctor's office quickly turned into emergency surgery for Russell at Mercy Medical Center in Rogers, where doctors discovered he had a staph infection. Complications arose, at which point Russell was airlifted to Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock. He never recovered from the anesthesia, according to school officials.

Russell was pronounced dead around 11 a.m. Wednesday.

"I was up at (Mercy) as surgery was ending, and when the doctors came out and said something was wrong, I'll never forget that feeling," Harrelson recalled. "These are surgeons - people who are experts at what they do. When they come out and tell you something like that, it was a horrible feeling. I think everyone was in shock.

"Casey's death is a terrible subject, but he was a fine young man," Harrelson said. "He stood for everything we want Gravette athletics to be.

Homecoming is supposed to be a celebration, but I don't know how much of that there's going to be on Friday night. You have to carry on, but Casey is going to be on everyone's mind, on the football field and in this town."

On Thursday, the high school hallways were nearly silent, even as students made their way from one classroom to the next. Rather than hallways filled with homecoming posters, streamers and talk of the upcoming parade, pep rally and all the other festivities that make homecoming special, there was more shock and confusion. Deliveries continued through the morning - not of flowers for the homecoming court, but of gift baskets and cards from school districts and football programs across the region. Harrelson's and Athletics DirectorNorman Mitchell's cell phones rang every couple of minutes.

"That basket in the main office is from Gentry," Mitchell said. "Every school in the area hascontacted us, from Benton County all the way to Fayetteville and Springdale. Coach got a message from the Shiloh football coach. There's been an outpouring."

At Bobby's Shop 'n Go, on Arkansas Highway 59 in downtown Gravette, the conversation between two men at the gas pump on Thursday morning revolved around Russell. Thedoors at The Main Cafe, a hot spot at the corner of East Main Street and Northeast Second Avenue, were just being unlocked as management said news of the sudden death was all customers talked about from noon to closing on Wednesday.

Inside the high school walls, students, including fellow linemen junior T.J.

Chevallier and senior Dakota Lacy, sorted through their emotions.

"I don't know what to say," said Chevallier, who, along with Russell, stepped in to start on the varsity offensive line as a sophomore last fall.

"I lost a great friend. All of us did. It's going to be weird to look around and not see him with us on Friday."

"It doesn't seem real," Lacy said. "All three of us have been together since Pee Wee football. We're talking about Casey. He made everything so much fun."

And not just on the football field.

"I'm going to expect to see him parked by the IGA, just like he always did on Saturday nights," Lacy said. "He'd always be out there on Saturday nights with some of the guys. I'd go up there and hang out. I'm going to drive by expecting to see him, but he's not going to be there."

When Gravette takes the field against Pea Ridge at Lions Stadium tonight, Russell's teammates will wear his number - 56 - on their helmets. Prior to or following the halftime homecoming festivities, there will be a moment of remembrance and recognition for Russell.

"The student body has been impressive," said Jaron Porter, faculty sponsor for the GHS Student Council. "Everyone's thinking about Casey, but you have to roll with the punches. You don't plan on something like this happening when you're planning homecoming.

Close-knit student bodies rise through adversity."

No one doubts Gravette will rise. It's just been difficult to absorb.

"It's still hard to believe," Harrelson said.

"He was such a good young man."

News, Pages 1, 11 on 09/25/2009

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