JERSEY SHORE–Members of the Jersey Shore football team, school and community gathered at Bald Birds Brewery in Jersey Shore early Sunday afternoon to honor the life of Max Engle, a former Bulldog football player who passed away on Friday, September 15.

The event was held for the community to gather in fellowship to celebrate Engle’s life and give the family an opportunity to thank everyone for the overflow of support they’ve gotten over the past two weeks.

“Our coaches and team are very thankful to our school administrators, school superintendent Dr. Ulmer, principal Justin Armbruster, our guidance counselors at the school for all their guidance and help and our teachers in the school system,” Jersey Shore football coach Tom Gravish said. “We are thankful for our student body, boosters and parents, cheerleaders, parents and the fans at our first game and Saturday night. They’ve all done something special for us. We appreciate the texts, emails, cards and we wouldn’t be able to take the field without them. We’re so appreciative of all those people, they mean so much.”

“Our community has been great. You can’t go anywhere without a business or anyone offering to help, whether it’s to feed the team or whatever. The list will grow but there are so many in our town and community to thank–we just have the best community in the world,” coach Gravish added.

Thousands of people from students, families and Jersey Shore graduates lined up outside the brewery to wait their turn to take in the emotional but honoring event for Engle. The scene included different pictures of Engle that were displayed at each table and a walk-through with many pictures and memories of Engle’s life, including a big-screen slideshow. Some even gathered for refreshments, sharing condolences to the Engle family.

“It’s hard but everybody is coming together to honor him, celebrate his life, what he was about and everything he did,” Jersey Shore wide receiver and linebacker Payton Samar said. “It’s definitely going to be rough (and) sad but it’s also a happy time to talk about the good times and everything that’s happened to him.”

The event comes just nine days after the passing of the former defensive end. The Bulldogs have played two games since then and have come up with two consecutive wins over Shikellamy seven days ago and Saturday on the road at Mifflinburg. While achieving the goal of winning games has been successful, the Bulldogs haven’t lost sight of supporting the Engle family, playing for their brother Max and remembering who he was as a person and player.

“They’re just great people; our thoughts and prayers will always be with them,” coach Gravish said about Engle and his family. “We just love Max, he’s a great young man, he just always had a smile on his face. He was a player that we won’t forget and how much he’s meant to our success. He’s just so well-liked and loved by all of his teammates.”

“The kids are playing awful hard for them right now. We feel as though he’s shining down on us and guiding us through a difficult time,” coach Gravish added.

While Engle’s death has been a tough one to swallow for many in the community, it has also been an eye-opener. Not only for the football team, but for families, parents and students to value life more than winning and losing a football game.

Dealing with this type of loss is hard for anyone, let alone a close community in Jersey Shore. But even as small as Jersey Shore is, the tragic news has reached across the state and the Bulldogs’ relationships through football have paid dividends to a sheer off-the-field presence. Coach Gravish has received texts, phone calls and support from Penn State football coach James Franklin and coach Pat Narduzzi. Gravish said the relationships stem from Jersey Shore playing in many team camps in the offseason.

Relationships and support matter even when a person, player or coach is no longer a part of that community. That includes former Jersey Shore Bulldog standout Nic Williams, who now plays for Meadville High School’s football team and had a relationship with Engle and many Shore football players. Williams-now a senior who played with Engle and many others growing up-drove from Meadville to support a former teammate, and more importantly, a brother.

“Jersey Shore is a tight-knit community; they love each other and have great respect for each other. I feel a sense that we are together. The only way we can get through this and still achieve our goals is together. I’ve got a lot of faith in our senior leadership that together we can and together we will…we’re just going to try to be 1-0 every day,” coach Gravish concluded.