‘Unimaginable.’ Two college football players killed in crash, Kansas school says

A private Christian university is mourning the death of two students after they were killed in a single-vehicle crash over the weekend.

Senior Christopher Castillo and junior Johnethon Aviles died Sunday, Feb. 27, according to a news release from Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas. A third student, freshman Jonathan Medina, was hospitalized with “significant injuries.”

All three were student athletes from California who played football for the Tabor College Bluejays, according to the team roster.

“The Tabor College community is devastated by the tragic loss of Christopher Castillo, Johnethon Aviles, and of the significant injuries sustained by Jonathan Medina,” President David Janzen said in a statement. “We extend our prayers to the Castillo, Aviles and Medina families, asking for comfort, peace, and God’s presence during this unimaginable time.”

State troopers responded to the fiery crash at 3:51 a.m. Feb. 27, according to the Marion County Record. The car came to a stop near Indigo Road and 130th Street, about 6 miles south of Tabor College.

Castillo was a 5-foot-10-inch, 225-pound linebacker from San Juan Capistrano and previously attended Orange Coast College, according to his team profile.

Aviles, at 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 230 pounds, was a running back for Tabor after transferring from Allan Hancock College, the team roster says. He was from Paso Robles.

Medina, a freshman from Arlington High School in Riverside, plays for Tabor as a fullback, according to the team roster. He’s 5 feet, 11 inches tall and 170 pounds.

Hillsboro is about 60 miles north of Wichita and 170 miles southwest of Kansas City.

This story was originally published February 28, 2022 at 11:56 AM with the headline "‘Unimaginable.’ Two college football players killed in crash, Kansas school says."