As the youngest coach on the Cheshire High School football staff, Greg Schena was the target of good-natured joking and given some of the less desirable jobs.
"He was the youngest member of our staff so we'd kind of pick on him as 'the kid,' " said head football coach Mark Ecke.
Schena, 27, took it in stride, however, and formed some strong relationships with the athletes, according to Ecke.
Schena, who lived in Cheshire, died shortly before midnight Wednesday in St. Francis Hospital in Hartford of injuries suffered in a car accident in Southington last week.
"We're going to miss him next year," Ecke said. "We had good chemistry."
In addition to coaching junior varsity football in Cheshire, Schena also coached track and field at Moran Middle School in Wallingford.
He played football for three years under Ecke, who described him as dependable on and off the field.
Peter Bowman, a Southington resident who grew up in Cheshire, went to middle and high school with Schena and described him as one of his best friends.
"It's a horrible loss of a great friend and an all-around great guy," Bowman said. They played football together at Cheshire for four years.
Schena stayed involved in sports after graduating from Central Connecticut State University, where he played hockey and earned a degree in physical education. He had recently joined an adult ice hockey league, according to Bowman, who said Schena was a good coach who was able to earn the respect and love of his players.
"He loved working with young people and encouraging them to be active," Bowman said. "I think he was able to teach a lot of lessons."
Ecke also said Schena was able to make an impact as a coach.
"He built great relationships with the kids," Ecke said. "This is a tough thing with them."
A Facebook page had been created in memory of Schena, and had attracted more than 1,400 members as of Thursday afternoon. Bowman said the posts show how many personal connections he was able to make with people and how well-liked he was.
"So many of these people knew him personally," Bowman said. "He touched a lot of lives."
Police said Elizabeth McField, 33, of Meriden, was traveling east on Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike last Wednesday night when her Dodge Durango struck Schena 's Ford Taurus as he was driving north on Old Turnpike Road. A passenger, Brian Zentek, was riding with Schena. McField and Zentek were treated at St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury and released.
Schena was flown by Life Star helicopter to St. Francis Hospital after the accident.