High school football: Mike Medders, who died in the Iraq War, to be honored during Avon Lake home opener; season dedicated to all fallen soldiers

AVON LAKE — No. 66. It's the uniform number Mike Medders proudly wore when he played guard and defensive end for Avon Lake. He graduated in 2001 and went on to play football at Walsh University in North Canton, but after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Medders transferred to Bowling Green, where he joined the ROTC program. He graduated from BG in 2005 and joined the Army, stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, where he was a troop leader. Medders was killed in the line of duty in Iraq on Sept. 24, 2008. Avon Lake dedicated one of its football lockers to him and named the road directly behind Memorial Stadium "Medders Way." The school also retired his number. Friday, the Avon Lake Football Club will honor Medders and all the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country. It's Avon Lake's home opener. The Shoremen shut out Strongsville 38-0 last week on the road. "We decided that we needed to remember Mike and anyone like Mike," said Mark Summers, who spearheaded the event. "Anyone who served from our city and obviously the nation but we wanted to keep it front and center. There's a lot of people in our town who don't know who Mike Medders was." "Looking past the athletic accomplishments — and he was an outstanding player for us — when you think about Mike, think about his attitude," former Avon Lake coach Dave Dlugosz said. "He was a very, very positive, optimistic, uplifting individual. He had that type of personality. He was always kidding around, always joking around, always upbeat. Always had a smile on his face. He was a very encouraging person especially to the younger kids." Medders was a first-team All-Ohio offensive lineman his senior year and made an impression on Matt Kostelnik, Avon Lake's current coach, who was a freshman when Medders was a senior. "He was always out there with his personality," Kostelnik said. "He was laid back and a fun person to be around. He had a real good sense of humor." "Andrew Dlugosz (Dave's son and one of Medders' best friends) was a year or two younger than Mike," said Dominick Kaple, Medders' brother-in-law. "Mike was always a guy that watched out for the freshmen and sophomores. He'd go over and make sure they were comfortable." Medders' father, Mike Sr., was the police chief in Elyria for many years before retiring. He and his wife, Lynn, had two children. Both were outstanding athletes — Mike in football and Amanda in basketball. Mike Jr. was Amanda's biggest fan. "We'd run into Coach (Amy) Manco once in awhile," said Kaple, Amanda's husband. "She still talks about Mike being at the games and being the loudest. He'd get excited during the girls games. "Not only did he never miss a game, he was always watching out for her. Very protective. First time I met him, I was a little nervous, having him and the chief of police at the same time. Wow." Kaple, who lives in Avon Lake, is the assistant superintendent of South Euclid Lyndhurst City Schools. His two daughters, Mackenzie and Kendyl, along with his son, Colton Michael, will be on hand Friday to accept the honor. Medders' senior season was a memorable one. The Shoremen, Olmsted Falls and Amherst each earned a share of the Southwest Conference championship. Avon Lake beat Olmsted Falls 19-14 on the last week of the season to secure a piece of the championship. Amherst had handed Avon Lake its only regular season loss in Week 8 and Falls did the same to the Comets in Week 9. Avon Lake was seeded No. 1, Falls No. 2 and Amherst No. 3 in the Division II playoffs. All three teams were 9-1. Amherst lost by a point to Brecksville in the first round. Avon Lake lost by a point in overtime to Niles McKinley in the second round and Olmsted Falls went on to win the state championship. Ironically, Brecksville will be Avon Lake's opponent Friday. The Shoremen helmets will adorn an American Flag and a sticker with Medder's No. 66 along with the words "Shoremen Forever — Never Forgotten." "If you notice, on that emblem, Mike's name's not on there," Summers said. "We wanted him to become the catalyst for thinking about all those who've served and all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. A great way to do it was through the football program. We're using Mike's passing and Mike's ultimate sacrifice to remind us all about everybody. "We want every kid in our town, when they see 66, they'll understand what it actually means." "He was very deeply entrenched in everything at Avon Lake," Dlugosz said of Medders. "He was a solid student. Things a lot of people don't know about him, he had a beautiful signing voice. He was a mainstay of one of the choirs we had at Avon Lake High School. People had a tendency to come to him because he was fun-loving but he was also sensitive. You can see very easily why he became a captain in the Army because he was a guy that people could go to." "I think it's going to be a great reminder to everybody that the reason we're here is because of the sacrifice of what other people have done," Dlugosz said. "I know that's the way Mike felt. I know that 9/11 affected him deeply and it did change the course of his life." Contact Tim Gebhardt at (440) 329-7135 or at timothygeb@msn.com.