news-record.com

GREENSBORO — They stifled tears as they filed into the Southern Guilford cafeteria Sunday afternoon, their voices silent but their faces all asking the same question: Why is Scotty gone?

Cameron "Scotty" Wayne, the Storm's star senior running back, the 17-year-old football player whose jet-propelled athleticism earned him a full scholarship to East Carolina, the kid who carried a 3.8 GPA and encouraged his classmates to walk with their heads held high, died Saturday morning after a car crash on Interstate 85 in Davidson County.

"This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life," said Southern Guilford head coach Darryl Brown, who met with his players for about an hour Sunday afternoon while pastors from the community led a vigil in the cafeteria.

Wayne's mother, Sharon Bennett, also spoke to the team.

More than 200 people prayed, hugged, cried, shared memories and tried to find a little bit of sense in the tragedy, which robbed Southern of one of the best athletes it's ever seen.

Players hugged with clenched fists. One shaved "RIP 23" in the side of his head, a tribute to Wayne's uniform number.

A woman punctuated the service by singing a pair of spirituals, including one with this verse:

There will be mountains that we will have to climb

And there will be battles that we will have to fight

Victory or defeat, it's up to us to decide

But how can we expect to win if we never try

We just can't give up now

Wayne spent Friday night in Charlotte with three friends, and the group was on its way back Saturday morning when the driver, Deandre Thomas, a freshman at N.C. A&T and Wayne's cousin, fell asleep at the wheel. His 1998 Toyota Camry veered off the road and crashed into a tree at about 70 miles an hour.

Wayne, who was not wearing a seatbelt, according to the Highway Patrol, died on the way to the hospital. The other three men in the car were improving Sunday.

Thomas was scheduled to be released from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in the afternoon. George Washington, also a freshman at A&T, was listed in critical but stable condition. Darren Garcia, the Storm's senior quarterback, suffered shoulder and chest injuries but is expected to recover, though his season is over.

"He said he'll be back to cheer," Brown said.

Football, however, seemed the most distant thing in the world Sunday. Brown's voice cracked as he told the crowd that the football field had been Wayne's second home and that he would have wanted the team to play on without him.

The Storm hosts McMichael on Friday, and Brown said he will try everything he can to go about business as usual during the week. But on and off the field, that's a difficult task to fulfill without Wayne.

"He was the center of everything we did," Brown said. "Everywhere we look now, there's going to be a hole there."

Contact Tom Keller at 373-7034 or tom.keller@news-record.com