Alter paid tribute to Mangold with that helmet sticker and with a moment of silence before the game at Roush Stadium.
“Nick was a true champion both on and off the field,” the public address announcer said before the game. “His humility, strength and leadership and deep love for his family and community inspired all who knew him.”
Mangold was a sophomore at Alter in 1999 when Ed Domsitz returned to Alter to coach for his second stint. Domsitz has coached the Knights ever since and talked about Mangold after a 35-7 victory against Bellbrook in the first round of the Division III, Region 12 playoffs.
“Nick Mangold really stands for everything that we like to think we believe in here at Alter High School,” Domsitz said.
Domsitz said Alter played with effort and showed leadership Friday, and those were things they had been hearing about Mangold over the last week.
“We played hard,” Domsitz said. “This is the way that Nick played the game.”
Alter’s practice field is named after Mangold, so the current players know about his legacy even if they don’t remember watching him play.
“He’s huge for the Alter program,” junior Drew Cripps said, “not only for his football presence but for the type of person that he was.”
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