VEEDERSBURG ― Riverton Parke wrestler, baseball and football player Chase Bennett was known among the many circles of athletes that crossed paths between West Lebanon and his school’s location in Montezuma.
Seeger cheerleader Sidnee Atwood heard of how kind and gentle Bennett was through her own connections with discussions with friends who attend Riverton Parke and bonded through competition with the two programs being members of the Wabash River Conference.
“He was just a great kid and super dedicated,” Atwood said. “He established a lot of connections with everyone around him and he was easy to be friends with. Everyone loves him so much.”
It’s through secondhand bonds that Seeger cheerleaders and football players alike came together in support of Bennett.
Bennett died in a car crash on Friday, Feb. 20. The community around Riverton Parke canceled basketball games while coping with the tragedy of losing a teammate, friend, brother and son.
Bennett made 51 tackles and rushed for five touchdowns this past season and batted .364 last season as a sophomore second baseman.
He was studying automotive technology and had a smile that lit rooms up.
There were rivalries within the WRC, but through competition came a respect that Bennett earned in the trenches as a running back and cornerback who wrestled in the 113-pound weight class.
Seeger junior cheerleader Bella Hubner felt a need for her community to rise up and support Riverton Parke and Bennett in what she described as “the Warren County way.” They have started raising money for the Bennett family to help support them through a terrible tragedy.
“We are such a rural district,” Hubner said. “We live in one of the areas where you know everyone that you run into. Even if you didn’t personally know him, this is a tight enough community in this area where you feel for those people. It’s really important to support Riverton Parke.”
Seeger football coach Scott Cronk never faced Riverton Parke or Bennett, having been an assistant coach at Lafayette Jeff for 14 years previously.
But Seeger has managed to galvanize itself and saw a mission to assist its WRC competitor.
Returning Seeger players knew Bennett who was going to graduate next school year.
Cronk is a father himself and wanted to make sure his team did its part in helping Bennett and Riverton Parke.
“Athletics are a great thing and it brings people together from a lot of different backgrounds,” Cronk said. “At the end of the day we are all just trying to be good people. And when someone is hurting, you got to be there to support them.”
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@jconline.com, on Twitter at EthanAHanson and Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Seeger cheer, football supporting Riverton Parke following tragedy
Reporting by Ethan Hanson, Lafayette Journal & Courier / Lafayette Journal & Courier
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