Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - High school football teams across Central New York remembered 16-year-old Ridge Barden Friday night. Barden died of a brain injury inflicted on the football field in a game against Homer last week.
In memory of Barden, each host school held a moment of silence to remember him. The section has other plans to commemorate Barden as well.
According to Section 3 Executive Director John Rathbun, Barden’s death shook the high school athletics community, but it also pulled it together. He said it was never more obvious than at Barden’s funeral on Thursday.
"The one thing that I took out is that the games got to go on, we still have to play and we still have to move forward, we're not going to forget, but we're going to learn from this situation and move forward as a group,” Rathbun said.
One of the most visible remembrances was the small stickers that players placed on their helmets in memory of Barden. The section will also honor Barden in its championship program, which includes a dedication written by a Phoenix student.
"It’s very heart warming to see what he wrote and that will be in the program,” Rathbun said. “Finally, at the Class B final, the Phoenix football team will be there to present the winning team with the sectional banner…so we will honor the Phoenix football team at the Sectional Final too.”
In addition to players and coaches, game officials will wear black armbands in honor of Barden throughout the remainder of the season.
