GREEN BAY, Wis. — Green Bay Preble softball coach Ron Metzler is back at home recovering from a scary case of COVID-19.

His wife, Robin, and one of the couple’s adult children came down with symptoms they all believe was COVID-19 last month, although they were not tested. Both recovered in days, but Ron got it much worse.

He already had been dealing with a cough, but it was March 20 when it became clear he was in trouble.

He was hot, cold and weak, to the point where he couldn’t sleep much for days because he couldn’t get comfortable. Eventually, he had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance.

After a six-day stay, things finally turned for the better. Ron was released from the hospital last Saturday.

His tests for COVID-19 originally had come back negative, until it finally showed positive earlier this month.

Ron is a longtime attorney and municipal judge, but he also has dedicated years to the coaching profession.

The Hornets have been one of the most successful teams in the area during his decade-long tenure, which has included two Fox River Classic Conference coach of the year honors.

Metzler’s players surprised him outside his home with a parade of 45 cars Tuesday night. They held up signs, shouted words of encouragement and honked their horns as they drove past.

“It brightened up my life to the highest point it had been for a few weeks,” Ron told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “When the virus broke and you learned you weren’t going to have softball and you learned that your training facility is shutting down and there is going to be no school, we have such a hard-working program. We had the unhappiness of the situation that everybody is living in, and then it turned personal for me where I feared for my life.

“Three days after getting out of the hospital and feeling better, I get that sort of response. It’s just amazing. It wasn’t just some minor uplift. It was one of the coolest things that ever happened to me.”