Lycoming College may have lost, 13-9, to Bridgewater College (Virginia) in a Division III Football Championship quarterfinal game December 7, but that the team even made it on the field and came within a touchdown of a win is a testament to the student-athletes' strength and character.

The game was played less than 24 hours after teammate Ricky Lannetti, 21, of Philadelphia, died from a staph infection, according to the Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, coroner's office. The senior wide receiver had been taken to the hospital the morning of December 6, but was already experiencing kidney failure by the time he arrived. He died about 12 hours later. Lannetti had begun experiencing flu-like symptoms about four days before his death.

Warriors football coach Frank Girardi said playing a game the day after the death of one of his athletes was the hardest thing he's had to do in all his years of coaching, but he felt it's what Lannetti would have wanted.

"When we talked to the players Saturday night after Ricky passed away, we talked about playing the game. They unanimously felt, being the competitor Ricky was, that he would definitely have wanted them to play," Girardi said. "They felt that the best tribute they could give him was to go out and play hard and they played their hearts out.

"We came up a little bit short. But the biggest thing was the incredible effort they gave in that particular game."

A moment of silence was held before play began in memory of Lannetti and his teammates placed his No. 19 jersey and shoes on the bench.

Fans around the stadium had No. 19 painted on their faces and shoes. Also, two huge 19s were etched in the snow near the field.

Lycoming was in the game late until a pass thrown into the end zone was knocked away, but Girardi was still proud of his players' efforts.

"I simply told them after the game that in all the years I've been here, this is probably as proud as I've ever been of a football team, performing under these circumstances, and they certainly can walk off their field with their heads held high," he said.

Girardi said the team has received e-mails of support from around the country. Those messages have helped his players cope with their loss.

Lannetti had led the team in receptions this season, with 70 catches for 955 yards and five touchdowns, and set school records for receptions in a game and for a season. He recently had been named to the All-Middle Atlantic Conference first team. For his career, Lannetti caught 100 passes for 1,423 yards and eight touchdowns. He returned 90 punts for 772 yards and two touchdowns, and 45 kickoffs for 987 yards.

In the week before his death, Lannetti had played in his first NCAA playoff game and helped the Warriors defeat East Texas Baptist University, 13-7, in overtime.

"The biggest thing about him was probably his competitiveness and the quiet way in which he went about it," Girardi said. "He certainly wasn't a rah-rah guy, but he broke our receiving record this year. He was a first-team All-Middle Atlantic Conference wide receiver, but I believe just his work ethic and the way he went about doing his job -- he was a guy the other receivers looked up to.

"But he did it in his way, just by his work ethic and his performance. He always let that speak for itself."