Throckmorton Football Alumni Hurt in Crash After Championship Win
By: Jessica Reyes
Updated: December 12, 2011
A group of men from Throckmorton was involved in a fatal accident in Abilene about 12 hours after their school won a state football championship.
They were heading north on the Winters Freeway around 2:00 a.m. Sunday when the pickup truck they were riding in went out of control and flipped over the guard rail, landing on N. 10th St. below. Kevin Allen, 38, of Godley, was prounounced dead at the scene.
According to Abilene Police, Kelsey Clark, 21, of Throckmorton, was driving and alcohol may have been involved.
"The next morning when I found out about it, it was very disturbing," said Throckmorton mayor Will Carroll.
Six men were in the pickup when it flipped. The men were believed to have been celebrating Throckmorton's state championship win, a game some of the passengers in the truck played in themselves a few years ago.
"All five of the guys that were from Throckmorton that were in the vehicle, they were all on the 2005 championship team. So they know what it's like to win a championship and then they were part of a tragedy," Carroll said.
The tragedy has cast a solemn shadow over the small, tight-knit community.
"I think anytime anything happens to somebody who's come through the Throckmorton Greyhound program, our thoughts and prayers always go immediately to the kids and to their families," said Mike Reed, Throckmorton Head Coach.
While pride for the Greyhounds is obvious all over town, those involved in the crash remain the top priority.
"The championship is celebrated and will continue to be celebrated throughout all of this. But the number one thing on the hearts and minds of the people right now are these injured young men and the family of the man that passed away," Carroll said.
Logan Scarlett and Dillon Rankin, both 24 from Throckmorton, were transferred to Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene. They were both listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit as of Monday night.
The driver, Kelsey Clark, and Cole Riley, a passenger, were treated at the scene for minor injuries. Robert Ebelherr was treated at Hendrick Medical Center and later moved to a Wichita Falls hospital to be closer to family, according to the mayor.
They were heading north on the Winters Freeway around 2:00 a.m. Sunday when the pickup truck they were riding in went out of control and flipped over the guard rail, landing on N. 10th St. below. Kevin Allen, 38, of Godley, was prounounced dead at the scene.
According to Abilene Police, Kelsey Clark, 21, of Throckmorton, was driving and alcohol may have been involved.
"The next morning when I found out about it, it was very disturbing," said Throckmorton mayor Will Carroll.
Six men were in the pickup when it flipped. The men were believed to have been celebrating Throckmorton's state championship win, a game some of the passengers in the truck played in themselves a few years ago.
"All five of the guys that were from Throckmorton that were in the vehicle, they were all on the 2005 championship team. So they know what it's like to win a championship and then they were part of a tragedy," Carroll said.
The tragedy has cast a solemn shadow over the small, tight-knit community.
"I think anytime anything happens to somebody who's come through the Throckmorton Greyhound program, our thoughts and prayers always go immediately to the kids and to their families," said Mike Reed, Throckmorton Head Coach.
While pride for the Greyhounds is obvious all over town, those involved in the crash remain the top priority.
"The championship is celebrated and will continue to be celebrated throughout all of this. But the number one thing on the hearts and minds of the people right now are these injured young men and the family of the man that passed away," Carroll said.
Logan Scarlett and Dillon Rankin, both 24 from Throckmorton, were transferred to Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene. They were both listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit as of Monday night.
The driver, Kelsey Clark, and Cole Riley, a passenger, were treated at the scene for minor injuries. Robert Ebelherr was treated at Hendrick Medical Center and later moved to a Wichita Falls hospital to be closer to family, according to the mayor.
