Keystone High School Mourns Loss Of Beloved Student-Athlete

LAGRANGE, Ohio- A very somber feel in LaGrange County, as a beloved son and member of the Keystone High School family has passed away.

17-year-old Nathaniel Barrett, a Junior at Keystone High School, passed away late Friday night after crashing his vehicle into two trees on Route 301. Andrew Perez, an Ohio Highway Patrol Trooper stated that Barrett was heading south on Route 301 near Whitney Road when his Acura SUV he was driving went off the left side of the road and struck a tree. Condition of the road and unsafe driving speed contributed to the accident. Barrett was extracted from his car and taken to the University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center and MetroHealth Medical Center located in Cleveland, where he passed away.

Barrett was a member of the Keystone football team, playing both running back and strong safety for the team.

“It’s a bad day. We’re just going to get together and be there for one another.” stated Don Griswold, Head Coach of the Keystone football team. “My heart breaks for his family. My heart breaks for his teammates. There’s a very good chance that most of our students interacted with him at some point during the day. It’s very tough.”

Coach Griswold tweeted out “Let’s get together tomorrow morning and grieve together.” as soon as the news reached him. The Keystone community responded and gathered on Saturday morning to grieve the loss of Barrett.

NEOSI sends its thoughts and prayers to the Barrett family and the Keystone community in this heartbreaking time.