CAMBRIDGE, Ohio — A Northeast Ohio teen is dead following an incident at a state cross-country meet this past weekend.
According to police and administrators, Minerva High School junior Owen Grubb had just finished competing in the OHSAA Boys Division II district finals Saturday afternoon in Cambridge when he and his teammates decided to celebrate with one of their traditions: Throwing a tree or log of a bridge into the water. Owen and three others found a dead tree and attempted to bring it down, but it snapped and fell, striking Owen as he attempted to run away. Teammates and paramedics attempted were eventually able to stabilize him, but he later died from his injuries after being airlifted to Akron Children's Hospital.
Minerva Superintendent Gary Chaddock released the following statement on Owen's passing:
"Last weekend, Minerva High School Junior Owen Grubb died from injuries he received in a post-race accident following a weekend cross-country meet.
"This is a terrible time for his family, friends and loved ones, and we extend our deepest condolences to all who cared for him.
"We are all grieving the loss of Owen, who was a bright light in our high school and exceptional student athlete. We are keeping our entire school community close in our hearts during this time.
"Counselors have been brought to meet with his teammates and all district students and provide mental health support. We will work collaboratively with his family, friends, coaches and our cross-country team to plan ways to honor his memory.
"We are grateful for the swift actions of first responders and to the entire Ohio cross-country community for their continuing prayers for all of those who loved and will miss Owen.
"We recognize Owen’s family's need for privacy and respect at this time of mourning, and as such, we will not be sharing any further details of this tragic accident."
In the meet itself, Owen finished 10th out of 129 individual runners while the Minerva team as a whole finished first, qualifying for this weekend's regionals in Pickerington. However, out of respect for Owen's memory, The Canton Repository's Mike Popovich says the school has decided to list Grubb as the Lions' only runner on Saturday. The team later confirmed this by retweeting the post.
High school and college cross-country programs from around the community have also paid tribute to Owen while sending their condolences to the Minerva community: