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MONROE — When Braden McMonigle, a 17-year-old junior on the Monroe High football team, fell out of his chair during a meeting Monday afternoon, his teammates and coaches thought he was playing another joke.

"That's the kind of kid he is," Robert Leahy, principal at Monroe Jr./Sr. High School, said Tuesday afternoon.

After Braden was accidentally

hit above his right eye by a plastic Gatorade bottle, he lost consciousness. After being evaluated by the school's medical staff, Braden was flown by medical helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.

He had surgery Monday night, and his condition was upgraded from "serious" to "good" Tuesday, according to a hospital spokesman.

"He is awake and talking," said Monroe's coach Jason Krause, who added that Braden does not remember much about the incident.

Monroe Superintendent Arnol Elam said the team was "horsing around" when the incident occurred. He called it a "freak accident," noting the bottle was nearly empty.

"It is hard to believe it could cause that type of injury," Elam said.

Elam said he instructed high school administrators Tuesday to interview students and adults who were present when the teen was hit.

"The statements were consistent," Elam said.

Monroe police Capt. Tom Bishop said police were present at the school shortly after the incident, but were there to assist in the landing of the helicopter. The department is not investigating the incident, he said.

Braden is a "happy-go-lucky character," who was known and liked by many of the students in the district, Leahy said. Before Friday pep rallies, as the football players, cheerleaders and band members walk through the elementary school halls, Braden is one of the most popular players.

"He signs a lot of autographs," Leahy said.

Leahy is optimistic Braden, the team's leading receiver, will return to the team before the end of the season.

The Hornets, 7-1, host Waynesville, 6-2, Friday night in a game that will decide the winner of the Buckeye Division of the Southwestern Buckeye League and which team advances to the state playoffs.

But Leahy said the seriousness of the incident shows "life is much more important than any game."

"This shocks you," said Leahy, who has three sons in the district. "You get attached to these kids."