If you follow football in Livingston County, or are paying attention to the Section 5 Class B playoffs, the name Dillen McCormick might have been one you would have seen.
The senior is on the Hornell roster where he is listed as a 5-foot-10, 180-pound tight end and linebacker. He wasn't a starting player, but he was a member of the Red Raiders.
McCormick registered two tackles as a junior, but had not played much this year as he was forced to miss time with a serious knee injury.
As his team prepares for its 3 p.m. Class B semifinal battle with Geneva this Sunday at PAETEC Park, it has been handed some of the most difficult news a team could ever expect.
The young man passed away Monday afternoon The reasons are unclear, and nothing has been announced to the press, but it is a sad time for the Hornell community, the football team and all of Section 5.
Here is the lone report coming out in the Hornell Tribune about the situation.
As fans settle in to watch the great semifinal and finals action this weekend on the field, many will be putting these games into proper perspective as the tragic death of a young athlete will cast a shadow over the Class B tournament.
Hornell coach Gene Mastin asked his team if they wanted to forfeit the game this week or play, and all of his players decided to keep going and honor his memory playing the game they played with McCormick since they were probably children.
The winner of the Hornell/Geneva game will be playing the winner of the Bath/Attica game (Sunday, 6 p.m. at PAETEC Park) the following weekend.
Dillen McCormick is my
Dillen McCormick is my next-door neighbor. He was a big, sweet kid and his sudden death has broken the hearts of myself, my wife Judi and daughter Ali. We miss him deeply.
Please send your love and prayers to his parents, Darrin and Carol McCormick, and to his younger brother Pat, and to the Hornell High School football team and his friends.
The thoughtfulness of this blog, and of the messages coming in from other teams around Section Five, is very much appreciated at this sad, sad time.
God bless you, Dillen. We love you and we will never forget you.