One young man was a professional paintball player. The other sang in a choir.

They were best friends, both 18 years old. And on Tuesday, hours after Kevin Anthony O'Connell and Ian Michael Guckian died from a car crash, their friends stood at the debris-strewn site hugging each other and trying to come to terms with the tragedy of lives gone prematurely.

"We're going to miss them. It was not their time," said Gregory Ulprize, 19, of Cooper City. "Everyone is still in disbelief."

But evidence surrounded the group of teens in the 3300 block of Southwest 171st Terrace — a rearview mirror, stereo parts, a bumper from a Honda Civic. Plus bunches of flowers to make a memorial.

Guckian graduated earlier this year from Cypress Bay High in Weston, and O'Connell graduated from Everglades High in Miramar, friends said. Both had earlier attended Archbishop McCarthy High in Southwest Ranches.

Guckian was a professional paintball player, while O'Connell was musically talented, contributing a great singing voice to a school and church choir, friends said. In a school yearbook, O'Connell was designated the student most likely to brighten up your day.

"If you could hear his laugh from a mile away, you knew that he was coming," said Joseph Quick, 18, of Sunrise.

In a prepared statement, Guckian's parents said they were "devastated" by their son's death.

"He comes from a good, loving family who will always remember his kindness, love for life and perseverance," the statement said. "He will be missed terribly by his parents, sister, brother and extended family at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church."

O'Connell's family wasn't available to comment Tuesday, despite a message left at a listed number.

Guckian and O'Connell were riding in a 2009 Honda Civic owned by Guckian's parents when the crash occurred at about 2 a.m. Tuesday, according to Tania Rues, Miramar Police Department spokeswoman. Traffic homicide investigators are trying to determine who was driving the car, she said.

The driver apparently lost control of the Honda as it headed south on Southwest 172nd Avenue near Miramar Parkway, Rues said.

The Honda veered into the northbound lanes, crossed over an elevated swale on the east side of Southwest 172nd Avenue, rolled and went airborne, Rues said. The car catapulted past a tree and struck parts of two houses before coming to rest on Southwest 171st Terrace in the Nautica Community. Both houses sustained minor exterior damage, and no one inside was hurt.

The impact did not throw the teens out of the vehicle. Police did not say whether they were wearing seat belts.

O'Connell died at the crash site. Guckian was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

The car broke a window at James Martinez's house.

"It was like an explosion. It smelled like oil and gas," said Martinez, 36. Then he saw the teens.

"I was praying that they would pull through and be OK."

When he learned they had died, he arranged for his Catholic priest to visit the crash site and say a prayer for the young men.

The car also struck a column at Douglas Velez's home. Velez, who has three children ages 17 to 21, said it was upsetting to find the car in his backyard, with Guckian and O'Connell unconscious inside.

"I tried to open the car door but it was smashed up," he said. "It was sad to see that."