Viking Athletic Director Al Stumpf said many of the ideas to support Warren Hills came from students.
Voorhees Athletic Director Al Stumpf wanted to make sure the credit went to the right place for the measures being taken by his school and its sister school, North Hunterdon, in support of the Warren Hills community in the wake of the death of Blue Streak quarterback Evan Murray, who died as a result of a ruptured spleen suffered in Friday night’s football game with Summit.
“Most of things we are doing are coming from the kids themselves, coming in and talking to their coaching staffs,” said Stumpf, whose football team will travel to Warren Hills for a Mid-State 38 Raritan Division game Saturday night (7). “I am glad to see that. This outpouring of support is for Evan and his family, and for the entire Warren Hills community. It’s been a terrible tragedy, but it brought people together.”
Spectators attending Saturday games against Warren Hills are asked to wear Bluestreak white and blue.
“The idea for the blue shirts came from the (Voorhees) football booster club,” said Stumpf; the club made also a donation from the Vikings football team to support the Evan Murray scholarship fund.
Stumpf said the Mid-State 38 football games played Friday and Saturday night will be stopped 18 minutes into the game for a moment of silence in Murray’s memory; he wore #18 for the Blue Streaks.
And at Voorhees itself, the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes will assemble at the flagpole outside the school Thursday morning to pray for everyone involved in the tragedy; in the case of rain, Stumpf said, the event will be moved inside.
The helmet stickers both teams will wear Saturday night came about through a family relationship between the schools.
“One of our football assistant coaches, Chuck Friedel, has a brother, Justin, on the Warren Hills staff (both are North Hunterdon alums), and Justin also is an assistant boys lacrosse coach at Voorhees,” Stumpf said. “As soon I as had heard of the tragedy I had called to order stickers to wear but they already had it done and we decided to wear the same stickers in solidarity with them.”
At North Hunterdon, members of the volleyball team will also be coordinating a fundraising effort at home games from Oct. 1-9 to raise money to help support the Evan Murray Scholarship Fund.
Voorhees and North Hunterdon high school students and athletes will wear blue clothing Thursday as well as stickers, ribbons and wristbands reading #18 at upcoming field hockey games and girls cross country meets, according to the school’s Facebook pages.
“We’re accommodating whatever Warren Hills wants, and I am deferring to them for they think is best,” Stumpf said. “Their principal (Earl C.) “Chip” Clymer III used to coach baseball at Voorhees, and I asked him about wearing the blue clothing because I don’t want Voorhees to step on their toes. This is all a period of healing for Warren Hills. But he thought it was a great idea to show support for Warren Hills. There really has been an outpouring of sentiment.”
Craig Turpin of New Jersey Advance Media contributed reporting for this story.
Brad Wilson may be reached at bwilson@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradwsports. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.