LAKE ELYSIAN AND WATERVILLE, Minn. -
A Waterville-Elysian-Morristown senior is dead after the boat he was duck hunting on capsized.
Shortly before 6 Saturday morning Brady Hruska and 4 friends left the lake elysian pier to go duck hunting, but on their way across the lake their boat capsized, sending the hunters into the water.
Sheriff Brad Milbrath says, "When responders arrived on scene four of the individuals had been picked up by other duck hunter and brought to shore."
But Hruska was nowhere to be found. Crews searched to no avail, and in late morning the search for the teen changed to a recovery of his body.
About 20 miles away W-E-M high school opened its doors to students and parents and brought in councilors and local religious leaders.
Principal John Kaplan says, "You want to get as many people here in case student or parents need to talk to somebody."
Students also had a decision to make, would the football team play their playoff game Friday night versus
Medford without the senior wide receiver. In the end, the seniors on the team decided Hruska would want them to play.
Kaplan says, "They wanted to play in honor the boy and their teammate and their classmate."
Friends and family gathered back at the lake, and were there when crews found Hruska's body around 2p.m., 8 hours after he went under water.
Two of the duck hunters were transported to Mayo Clinic Health System-Mankato and were later released today.
More details on the incident this upcoming Monday.
This is part of the opening ceremony before kickoff at tonight's Waterville-Elysian-Morristown playoff game tonight against Medford.
Hruska was a captain on the team, and was announced in the pregame, and his father walked out with the rest of the captains for the coin toss.
Several hundred were in attendance, and the team wore the number two on their helmets in honor of their fallen teammate.
