East Granby Soccer Coach Chris Pettee, 29, Dies in Car Crash

New York State Police reported Sunday that Chris Pettee, the head coach of the East Granby boys soccer team, was killed in a car crash on I-684 near Mount Kisco, NY, according to Newsday.

Newsday said Pettee, 29, of Harrison, NY, was traveling south in a 2008 Nissan Maxima at a high speed. Police told Newsday that Pettee rear-ended a 2011 Nissan Altima and lost control of the car, swerving into the woods. He was ejected from the car.

According to The Hartford Courant, Pettee played soccer at Granby High School and this was his fourth year coaching soccer in East Granby, which is scheduled to play this week in the Class S tournament.

The Courant also said that Pettee was living in Harrison, NY, and commuting to his coaching job in East Granby because he had been promoted from a job at New York Sports Club in West Hartford to another one at the White Plains Club.

The Crusaders lost last year's Class S Tournament to Litchfield, after which Pettee told Granby-East Granby Patch: “I’ve had them for four years and they’re very good guys who just played really hard,” Pettee said. “They do everything you possibly could ask of them. I feel bad that we just fell a little short. The great news is, we’ve got a chance to do even better next year. This one stings, but I can’t help but be proud of what these guys have accomplished all season long.”