The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Chardon dedicates match to late classmates
The loss of Zachary St. Jean, Jackson Condon and Dominic Ricci pains the Chardon community.
Months have gone by since the three Hilltoppers died due to car accidents within days of one another.
As students return to school, their late classmates are at the front of their minds.
So, volleyball coach Chris Carlo and his players decided to dedicate their first match of the season to St. Jean, Condon and Ricci. And as Carlo discussed the appropriate measures with the band director, he decided the dedication shouldn’t be so somber.
“I was like, you know, let’s raise the roof for them,” Carlo said, “do something a little different.”
St. Jean, Condon and Ricci were remembered in a ceremony before the Hilltoppers hosted VASJ on Aug. 23.
The teams lined up on the sidelines as the drumline, that St. Jean was a part of, stood in formation at midcourt. As each student’s name was announced, the band drummed a salute while members of the volleyball team unfurled banners they made above the home stands.
On the floor, the Hilltoppers wore black armbands emblazoned with their classmates’ initials: JC, DR and ZSJ. The junior varsity and varsity teams hope to wear the armbands for the entire season, pending OHSAA permission.
The memory of St. Jean, Condon and Ricci is sustained by their classmates, including juniors Bailey Spear, Erin Martin and Elizabeth Rodriguez. They were some of many who gathered at a memorial on Chardon Square after Condon and Ricci’s crash, and wanted to do their part to help the community heal.
“It impacted us all very much,” Rodriguez said. “(The dedication) was the least we could do.”
The Chardon volleyball program knew Condon well — he attended every one of the home matches last season. When Carlo arrived as the Hilltoppers’ head coach before last season, he said Condon made him feel “warm and welcome.”
Spear knew each one. Martin and Rodriguez shared a math class with St. Jean, and Rodriguez also ran track with Ricci and Condon.
St. Jean was recognizable in the school halls, accompanied by a yellow lab he was training. Many knew Ricci for his role on the Hilltoppers’ football team which steamrolled to a perfect regular season.
As the start of the season neared, the Hilltoppers volleyball players wanted to help the healing process as Chardon mourns the young members of the community who impacted many lives.
“There were a lot of girls on the team who knew them really well,” Martin said. “We were all kind of going through it together, so we thought it’d be nice, the least we could do was dedicate one of our games.”
Carlo is from Twinsburg and now in his second year at Chardon. He quickly learned how powerfully the community bonds during emotionally demanding times.
“They just stay together,” Carlo said. “They just stay together, it’s definitely a wonderful thing that this community has.”
Speaking of their classmates still brings tears to the Hilltoppers’ eyes. But, seemingly, Chardon emerges from anguish more connected than previously thought possible.
“Everything I think makes us stronger as a community,” Spear said. “We continue to be there for each other, even if you don’t know someone.”
How Chardon responds and rallies together, through ceremonies or simple armbands, ensures the memories of St. Jean, Ricci and Condon endure.
“Jackson always said ‘Don’t count the days, make the days count,’ ” Martin said. “I feel like our community always now thinks of that, and to live every moment the best you can.”