 A bright field, but a dark day for Johnson Central football fans, Tuesday a vigil was held in honor of legendary football coach Jim Matney, who passed away from COVID-19 complications earlier Tuesday morning. Well, I'll be honest with you, I've known coach Matney for a long time now ever since he came here to Johnson Central. And as a young coach and even as a young athletic director, you know, he raised the bar. He raised the bar here. And, you know, he inspired us and, you know, you have coaches and then you have leaders of men. And I kind of feel like Coach Matney was a leader of men here. As you can see, you can look around and see the lives that he's touched. And these are just a few, just in our community. But he was a friend, I'll be honest with you. He was more than just a football coach, but he was a friend. I think by seeing the outpouring of support that showed up tonight, it showed that he was a very valuable member, not only to Johnson Central High School, but also the community as well. He was so involved in everything, you know, whether it be high school football or high school wrestling, but also very involved in the school system when he first came before his retirement. But he's also been heavily involved in the youth athletic programs, whether he was coaching a youth league football team or the youth wrestlers or even a Cal Ripken baseball team. He was definitely a staple of the community and he'll definitely be missed. In his career as Johnson Central Football Coach, Matney led the Golden Eagles to victory 309 times and earned the title of state champions in 2016 and 2019. Matney was also known for coaching both the Cardinals and Golden Eagles wrestling teams. Coach Jim Matney was 62 years old. For Mountain Top News, I'm Joel Hordjal.