Corydon Central to host senior night memorial for Bryce Gerlach

Bryce Gerlach was always known to hop to the front of the line when his football team would run a drill in practice.

The front of the line looked different on Tuesday during Corydon Central High School football team's first practice since the 18-year-old student was killed and two others were hurt in a shooting at the Harvest Homecoming Festival in New Albany on Saturday.

"He always jumped to the front line to take on that leadership role," Corydon Central Head Football Coach Luke Keller said.

Gerlach's leadership shined on the field, but he also shined academically, flirting with a 4.0 grade point average, Keller said. For his team and his friends, though, his ability to be taught and how he could cut through tension with humor will be missed much more.

On Friday, Corydon Central will host senior night for its football team during an at-home game against Silver Creek High School. People in attendance are asked to wear blue — Gerlach's favorite color — to honor the memorial, Corydon Central Athletics officials said in a Facebook post. Gerlach's name will be called on Friday, and his family is expected to attend in his place, Keller said.

Gerlach played multiple positions on the football field. He was a kicker and punter, his favorite positions, Keller said, but he also played on the defensive side of the ball as a defensive back. He had aspirations of playing football in college and had garnered some interest from Division I schools, including Middle Tennessee State University and Marshall University, Keller said.

In the days following the shooting, the grief has hit his football team hard, Keller said, but the support shown by the community has made a difference.

According to a Facebook post, Corydon Central students started Monday by hosting a gathering to remember Gerlach. Students from South Central Jr.-Sr. High School in Elizabeth provided the senior class with breakfast and a card to offer their condolences. Several other community organizations offered various forms of support, including therapy dogs and mental health therapists.

Over the course of Tuesday's practice, Keller said his team started to look more and more like themselves. The grief is still there, but they're doing what they can to honor what their teammate would have wanted.

"This is what this team needed, because it wasn't the crispest practice that we had, but the boys were out there having fun," Keller said. "That's kind of something that Bryce's dad, Scott, told us is Bryce would want you to play and Bryce would want you to have fun."

Gerlach's visitation will take place from 12-8 p.m. Thursday and 9-11 a.m. Saturday, followed by a funeral service at First Capital Christian Church, according to a Facebook post from his mother, Heather Gerlach.

New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey said that the other two people struck during the Saturday night shooting spree in Southern Indiana, a 22-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman, are still recovering.

The woman has been released from the hospital after suffering a gunshot wound to her lower extremities, Bailey said. The man, also struck in his lower extremities, remains hospitalized.

"His injuries are serious but are not thought to be life-threatening," Bailey said.

The shooting remains under investigation.

Harvest Homecoming shooting 2024Community members mourn 18-year-old student killed at 2024 Harvest Homecoming in Indiana

Staff members Krista Johnson and Keisha Rowe contributed to this report. Contact breaking news reporters Marina Johnson and Killian Baarlaer at [email protected] and [email protected].

This story was updated to add a video.