Every player with the privilege to play in the annual Army-Navy game knows fully well that the battle on the football field pales in comparison to what they’ll face in their post-graduation military commitments. Their lives often become a matter of life or death.
Former Black Knights QB/DB Chase Prasnicki was a sobering reminder of that. The 24-year-old native of Lexington, VA, was killed by an IED on June 27 while serving in Afghanistan. An Army first lieutenant, Prasnicki had arrived in the country just four days before.
A crowd of hundreds gathered both inside and outside St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Prasnicki’s hometown on July 11, the day of his funeral, to say goodbye.
Originally recruited to West Point as a star QB out of Rockbridge County High, Prasniciki spent three seasons as a backup before switching to safety as a senior, recording 10 tackles after the position change.
Prasnicki’s alma mater will try to halt a 10-game losing streak to Navy this Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
