The inspiring film "The Miracle Season" - a movie documenting the tragic 2011 death of Iowa City West volleyball player Caroline Found and the Trojans' unlikely march to the state title that season - hits theaters April 13.
The drama, starring Helen Hunt, William Hurt, Danika Yarosh, and Erin Moriarty, is produced by LD Entertainment which brought us the faith film RISEN, and directed by Sean McNamara (SOUL SURFER).
According to the film synopsis, Found, a senior setter for the Trojans, was killed in a tragic moped accident in August 2011 while driving home from a church event, stunning the City West volleyball team. Through the tragedy, her coach and teammates rallied together; Coach Kathy Bresnahan helped the grieving team deal with the loss of their friend while preparing them to win a second straight state championship.
Found's story made national headlines and sparked the slogan "Live Like Line." Her team's story was previously featured on HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.
Just 17 when she died, Found was once described as the "pulse" of the volleyball team by Coach Bresnahan.
"There's not a person that Caroline met that wasn't her friend," she said back in 2011. "Getting back on the court is going to be hard for the kids. The girls' strength is with each other. "It's a tragedy whenever any young person dies, but this is really hard."
Found's teammates also remembered her as an inspiration - both on and off the court.
"Simply, Caroline has inspired me to be a better person. She taught me to love a little harder, laugh a little more, and not to fret the small stuff," Ally Disterhoft, a friend and former teammate, told The Iowa Gazette. "I think that her story has inspired hundreds of other people as well, and that is truly amazing. I also knew Ellyn, and she too was an incredible lady. Ellyn and Ernie, Caroline's father, are two of the most loving, genuine people I have ever met in my life.
"I am a better person today because I knew Caroline. To know her was to love her, and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to do both."
The script was co-written by Elissa Matsueda and David Aaron Cohen, who also co-wrote the script for the 2004 high school sports drama, Friday Night Lights.
"The Miracle Season" opens on April 13, 2018. For more information, click here.
