Northridge celebrates late coach Hess with 'party'

JOHNSTOWN — The Northridge High School community came together last Friday to celebrate the life of longtime Vikings softball, baseball and football assistant coach Jim Hess, who passed away Aug. 29 following a long illness.

Northridge students, parents and fans lined the field to form a tunnel before the game against Watkins Memorial to pay respect to Hess. The game against Watkins was Northridge’s first home game since Hess’ passing.

The outpouring of support was not lost on Jim Hess’ son, Lane, who is the Vikings’ starting quarterback. He helped lead the team’s charge through the tunnel while carrying a Northridge flag.

“It means a lot,” Lane Hess said. “It was a great crowd. This is everything he would have wanted it to be. He really didn’t want us moping around. He said it multiple times when he first got sick. He didn’t want a funeral. He said, ‘Have a party.’ I feel like they brought the party (for this game).”

Hess, 58, also was survived by his wife, Carrie; Lane’s three siblings — sisters Mackenzie and Madison and brother Chase — and six grandchildren. The family hosted a celebration of life last Saturday at a local golf course as a fundraiser to help boost Northridge athletics.

“Everybody had talked about donations,” Lane Hess said. “My mom, the first thing she thought of was put it toward the new stadium here and get his name to be a part of it. If he wasn’t at work, he was coaching. That’s where he would want to be.”

Lane added, “He coached at the varsity level, he coached at the middle school and he helped with the youth program here, too. He coached me all the way through.”

Northridge coach Tod King is proud of how the school and football program have rallied around Lane Hess and his family to provide emotional support in their time of need.

“The team has come together,” King said. “Many of the players had been coached by Coach Hess previously. It is a very tight-knit family group out here. They know the lessons they were taught by him. You can see it in their eyes with the grind, the effort and the work. Everything is team and community based here.

“It was something that as soon as things occurred, the community came together. They said, ‘What can we do to show support? Can you get us a jersey to sign? Can we form a tunnel? Can you get us a (helmet) sticker?’ We have a sticker on the back of our helmets as a tribute to Coach Hess.”

It was an uphill battle for Division V Northridge to go up against Division II Watkins in a Licking County League crossover game. The Warriors took a 42-6 win.

The Vikings finally broke through for their only touchdown with Lane Hess hitting Drew Bingham for a 31-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to avert the shutout. For the game, Hess ended up rushing 20 times for 69 yards and also threw for 52 yards.

For the season, Hess has thrown for 396 yards and three touchdowns and also carried 72 times for 292 yards and two scores. Hess sees better times coming for his team as the season continues.

“I just need to bring the energy,” Hess said. “Coming back, you watch the film and there are no negative attitudes. The first thing you hear, you correct it and bring it back.”

Northridge (0-4) will play one more LCL crossover game at Granville (4-0) on Friday. The Vikings open LCL-Cardinal Division play at home against rival Johnstown (0-4) on Sept. 23.

“We’ve got things to work on, but we are going to grind and we’re going to keep at it,” King said.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Northridge celebrates late coach Jim Hess with 'party'