Students, teachers, and community members gathered at Tiger Stadium for a prayer vigil Sunday night for RHS football standout Austin Kitterman, who was seriously injured in an ATV accident early Sunday morning. Photo by Bart Moss.

By Matt Wilson

For the FCT

An entire community came together Sunday night to pray for Russellville High School junior Austin Kitterman, who was seriously injured in an all-terrain vehicle accident early Sunday morning.

Scores of students, teachers, and community members poured into Tiger Stadium for the 8 p.m. prayer vigil held for the football standout who has been described as a leader for this year’s Golden Tiger team.

According to officials, Kitterman was a passenger in an ATV that crashed on Franklin 34 at the intersection of Franklin 40 in the East Franklin community at approximately 1 a.m. Sunday.

Officials said Kitterman was airlifted from the scene and transported to Huntsville Hospital where he immediately underwent surgery for his injuries, including head and brain trauma.

He is currently listed in critical condition in the neurological intensive care unit.

Russellville head coach Mark Heaton, who spoke at the service, said the community has come together over this incident and he hopes it will continue.

“We need everybody’s prayers for him, his family, and for this community,” Heaton said.

“We need to stay close and stay together as a community and help each other through this.”

Heaton said the team had their regular Sunday meeting at 2 p.m., and he said the team was glad to be able to all be together.

“We came together as a team and discussed our duties moving forward—our duties as a team and our duties to him,” Heaton said.

“We plan on doing the best we can and that won’t change. Austin would want it this way and we want to honor him in the way we prepare and handle this.

“This is an extremely difficult situation to deal with and we’ve all got jobs to do. We’re going to trust in the Lord and trust that Austin is in his hands.”

Shortly after the news of the accident began to circulate, the community began to rally around Kitterman and his family. Messages on Twitter and Facebook began circulating asking others to “#PrayforAustin” and word was spread about the prayer vigil.

At the service, students, teammates, and members of the coaching staff led students in prayer for Kitterman and for his family.

Heaton said he is grateful that the football program is filled with good people.

“I’m thankful for the godly men on the staff,” Heaton said. “It was good to be there with each other today and to be there for each other.

“We have several youth ministers involved with the program so that’s a great thing in a situation like this. We’re going to all do the best we can and stay strong through all of this and we all need to keep praying for Austin and his family.”