Nearly 300 of Isaiah Laurencin's friends, fellow students, faculty and family gathered at Miramar High School Friday night for a vigil in his honor, remembering the rising senior who collapsed and died after football practice on Tuesday.
"I think this is what the community needed to cope with the loss," said Isiaha Bully, a teammate. "It helped me personally."
The gathered crowd lit candles, sang songs and shared fond memories of the 16-year-old, whose cause of death is still undetermined. The hour-long vigil began with a prayer by his teammates, something the 6-foot-3, nearly 300-pound Laurencin is said to have always done himself.
The offensive lineman was a constant presence at Cornerstone Christian Center Church in Hollywood, where he volunteered filming services.
"He loved doing it," Pastor Henry Daniels told the Sun-Sentinel. "He was punctual, on time and consistent."
At Friday night’s vigil, teammates lined the entrance two-by-two, listening to a recorded song written and performed by Laurencin’s father, Alison, on the loudspeakers.
“You was chosen to be that flying angel,” the elder Laurencin sang, “You was chosen to be that falling star.”
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The popular player, who had received attention from college recruiters, collapsed Tuesday evening and was pronounced dead the following morning at Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood.
Though Laurencin appeared to suffer symptoms of dehydration, the Broward medical examiner said Thursday that cause of death cannot be determined until test results are known, a process that may take three to four months.
Visitation for Laurencin will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on August 5 at Wright and Young Funeral home in Miami, and a funeral service will take place at 11 a.m. on August 6 at Cornerstone Christian Center Church in Hollywood.
