Family, friends and a high school community mourn a Clay County teen and student-athlete who was ready to go back to school just next week after he was killed in a crash Saturday night.
Robert Northway, 16, was killed when he crashed his truck on County Road 214 in Keystone Heights.
According to police, the teen was driving when he was unable to negotiate a curve because of the vehicle's speed and rainy weather. They said the vehicle left the road and overturned on its left side against a utility pole, snapping the pole in half.
His friend, Kyle Ploe, 17, of Keystone Heights, was also in the car and was treated and released from a hospital.
The Fleming Island High School football team came to practice Monday afternoon missing a teammate and a friend.
"We all miss him dearly," said his friend and teammate, Ben James. "Everybody is asking about him, coaches. It's pretty sad."
Fleming Island High football coach Jeff Webb knew Northway both on the field as a player and in the classroom as a student. He said this year, Northway was going to wrestle instead of play football.
"He's not a really big kid, but he as going to be a terrific wrestler. We thought he might have the chance to go to state," Webb said.
With school starting in one week, friends and faculty at the school prepare to say goodbye. They said they will remember him for the great kid he was with a promising future.
"We tell him all the time that we are not promised a tomorrow, but we hate to see it so graphically demonstrated," Webb said.