Supporters of Steele McLaren line up and illuminate Steele’s #32 at a prayer vigil on Tuesday night at the Trojan Bowl.

It’s been an emotional week for the Atlantic community, school district, and football team. Atlantic senior Steele McLaren suffered a severe brain injury after falling out of the back of a pickup truck in an accident on Sunday afternoon. Steele is fighting for recovery at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha and he has an overwhelming number of people supporting him. The outpouring of support from Atlantic, Southwest Iowa, and the country started quickly after news spread. Multiple fundraisers have been organized from apparel sales, meal events, online giving, and local bank donations. A prayer vigil was held on Tuesday night at the Trojan Bowl to support Steele, who is a starting defensive tackle for the Trojan football team. Atlantic Head Coach Mike McDermott said that was an important moment for the team.

Many other athletic programs have reached out to support Steele and the team, including this week’s playoff opponent West Marshall. Their Head Coach Cody Hackett said they want to do all they can to support Atlantic as they deal with the tragic event.

Coach McDermott said it certainly has been a different type of football week, but he thinks the guys want that cathartic moment of being able to step on the field for a couple hours.

You can hear more from Coach McDermott on Trojan Preview on Friday afternoon at 4:45 p.m. on KJAN. We’ll also have the game on KJAN and KJANTV.