JERSEY SHORE, Pa. -- A high school football player from Lycoming County was badly injured at practice and is now in a hospital.
Newswatch 16 spoke with the family Monday afternoon. They said their son is still in the hospital, and they are trying to just piece together what happened to him.
The 17-year-old Jersey Shore High School student was injured during a practice last Tuesday in Jersey Shore. Details of how the player was hurt have yet to be released.
"I was really close to it when it happened, and you just never think about stuff like that, that it could happen that serious that quickly, and you never think it could be that bad. It's definitely an eye-opener," Ezra Englert said.
According to the district, the student was cared for as quickly as possible.
In a statement, the district said the athletic staff was conducting the practice, as always, in accordance with all PIAA guidelines and requirements, again with student safety foremost in their mind.
Friends of the young man tell us they are praying for a quick recovery.
"His family is thinking about doing t-shirts with his number on them and one of the football games will be a '20-out,'" Zakery Kline said. "Everyone in the crowd will be in orange, hopefully, and wearing his number, and the student section will all have popsicle sticks with his face on it."
"He's the funniest human being I know. He can always put a smile on your face regardless," Cameron Griffin said.
"These guys and me, we've all been down there for his family and we all love him to death. We wish he could be here with us, but he's always going to be in our mind when we are playing," Englert said.
In a separate statement, the Jersey Shore School superintendent said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the student, his family, teammates and our community. We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery."
Friends of the family have a started fundraisers -- including a GoFundMe page -- to help pay for medical bills.