Isaiah Laurencin's family and friends are remembering the Miramar High School senior in their own ways.

Isaiah's football teammates led off an hour-long vigil Friday night with a group prayer, then signed a banner that was given to his family. Isaiah 's mother, Angela Cooper, was in attendance, along with other members of his family, but Miramar head football coach Damon Cogdell was not there. Numerous attempts to reach Cogdell were unsuccessful.



The vigil, for the Patriots' offensive lineman who collapsed Tuesday during conditioning drills and died the next morning, continued with remembrances by teammates and friends. No family members addressed the group.

The Broward County Medical Examiner said after Thursday's autopsy that the manner and cause of his death will not be known until test results are returned in 90 to 120 days.

Cornerstone Christian Center Church in Hollywood — where the 16-year-old belonged for a decade and where he recorded services on video — will memorialize him on Aug. 6.

And his father, Alison Laurencin, is mourning his only son with a melodious rap song, which was played for the estimated 350 at the vigil, before candles were lit and a moment of silence was observed.

"I recorded a song for him so people can listen to it and know the nature of our relationship," the musician, who lives in St. Lucia, 35, said by phone.

He and Isaiah's mother, Angela, were teenagers when their son was born.

Choking back tears, the grieving parent said, "We had a very close relationship. I spoke to him all the time. I always told him, 'Love your mom first.' This is really hard."

Lyrics for the song's chorus include, "You was chosen to be that flying angel, you was chosen to be that fallin' star."

Isaiah's paternal step-grandmother Ann Laurencin called him "a wonderful child" who enjoyed going to the movies, being on the computer and visiting an arcade at Sawgrass Mills mall.

"His dad loved him dearly," Ann Laurencin said. "Alison is truly mourning for his son. He cried a river for his son, sackcloth and ashes, as it says in the bible."

She said Isaiah was a "really good kid, a sweet kid," who liked science projects. He did not have health problems, "to our knowledge," she said. "But I've been reading about dehydration. It could be anything."

Isaiah loved football, she said. He also loved to eat.

"I don't think he turned anything down," she said. "Rice, beans, curried chicken. Whatever I cooked, he ate."

She called him "an exemplary person who loved life and loved God."

Isaiah may not have had a choice about attending church: his maternal grandmother, Charlene Cooper, works at Cornerstone Christian Center and brought him to services.

Pastor Henry D. Daniels leads the non-denominational, 1,000-member congregation and said Isaiah participated in the youth ministry, teens who met weekly to talk about issues in their lives.

Isaiah also served as a cameraman during services several times each month at one of the church's two locations.

"He loved doing it," said Daniels. He knew the teen he called a "big teddy bear" since he was a wee 6-year-old. "He was punctual, on time and consistent."

Even though Isaiah was a teenager, potentially a college football player and literally a big man on campus who stood 6-feet, 3-inches tall, the pastor called him "mild mannered."

"It was, 'Yes ma'am, yes sir,' very respectful," Daniels said. "He also participated in events like free car washes, random acts of kindness that we would do. He seemed like he loved to come here."

Daniels called Isaiah's death "an extreme loss," not only to the teen's mother Angela and family, "but to our church, too. He was just so involved, such a lovable and loving person."

He recalled talking with Isaiah earlier this month about preparing for his senior year.

"His aspirations were to play professional football and I would remind him about plan B, and making sure his academics were up to par," Daniels said. Attending Florida State University was one hope, though he had recently received interest from other colleges to play football, the pastor said.

"He was a very grounded person, family rooted," Daniels said. "For Angela being a single mother, she did an excellent job in raising him. The family is taking it very tough."

Isaiah's death was the first from the Miramar High School class of 2012. For many, Friday night's vigil was the first step towards healing.

Isaiha Bully, 17, had known Isaiah since middle school and remembered him as a positive person who rarely missed school and seemed to always be in good health.

"It's kind of hard to lose someone like this and really heal," Bully said. "He was a selfless person. When we think about what he would want us to do, it would be like to be move on and do everything to full potential, for him."

A viewing is tentatively scheduled for Isaiah, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5 at Wright & Young funeral home, 15332 NW Seventh Ave., Miami.

Cornerstone Christian Center Church will conduct a funeral service at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 6 at 450 S. State Road 7, Hollywood.