CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — The Crystal River community is mourning after news that one of their own died in Montana this weekend.

What You Need To Know

  • 18-year-old Chandler Stalcup, a Crystal River native, was shot and killed in Montana over the weekend

  • Stalcup was a freshman football player at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana
  • He was a 2003 graduate of Crystal River High School where he played football; Stalcup's former coach Cliff Lohrey says he made an impact on the football field

  • The Pirates football team plan to honor and recognize Stalcup 'next season and beyond'

Chandler Stalcup, 18, was shot during a fight with another teen this past weekend, according to police in Billings. He later died at an area hospital.

Stalcup, a 2023 graduate of Crystal River High School, was a freshman football player at Rocky Mountain College in Billings. It was a sport that meant a great deal to him.

At Crystal River High School, Stalcup made an impact on the football field, but maybe none greater than the impact he had on the people around him.

“We’re not going to get over this easily," says Cliff Lohrey, head football coach at Crystal River High School and Stalcup's former coach. "It’s going to take some time and some healing.”

As Lohrey looks inside the trophy cabinet at Crystal River High School, he reflects on Stalcup.

“He’s just an outstanding young adult who contributed to the lives of a lot of people here in a lot of different ways,” he said. 

Chandler Stalcup and Head Coach Cliff Lohrey. (Chris Lohrey)

Lohrey has been head coach of the football team for six years. 

“All he did was work to improve," Lohrey said. "All he did was work to get better. Those are the relationships, those are the interactions and those are the memories that, as a coach, you go, ‘Chandler is the reason that I wanted to do this in the first place.’ He’s the reason that I’m going to get up tomorrow in the morning and try to do it better than I did today.”

But, as Lohrey said, for Stalcup, it wasn’t always about football.

“Chandler, when he first came to Crystal River High School, (was) a multiple sport athlete as I mentioned. Baseball and football guy," he said. "Baseball was initially his first love.”

A multi-sport athlete whose dedication took him to the collegiate level, Stalcup had bigger dreams— and a larger-than-life impact— off the field.

“People would be missing the boat if they don’t understand what a well-rounded young man, young adult he was," Lohrey said. "The impact he made on this world in 18 years, it’s so important to remember what he would’ve done going forward in his life. Those are the things that we’ll continue to talk about that will be a part of Chandler Stalcup’s legacy at Crystal River High School.”

The Pirates had their final game of the season last week. While their season might be over, Lohrey said they plan to recognize and honor Stalcup next season and beyond.