SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A grieving community continues to grapple with the sudden loss of the son of the Miami Hurricanes’ assistant baseball coach after he was killed in a car crash in Southwest Miami-Dade.
Monday evening, 7News cameras captured the Christopher Columbus High School Football team hitting the field for the first time since the death of their teammate Ali Arteaga.
The victim’s head coach, Chris Merritt, described the star athlete, who played both baseball and football for the school, as a very special person.
“He was the glue that makes Columbus Columbus,” he said.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, Arteaga, the son of University of Miami pitching coach J.D. Arteaga, died Saturday night when he lost control of his Jeep Wrangler and crashed into a concrete utility pole along Southwest 87th Avenue, near 64th Street.
Arteaga was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 16 years old.
His passenger and girlfriend, 16-year-old Indira Rambarran, was taken to the hospital. The extent of her injuries remains unknown.
Two days later, Arteaga’s teammates ran drills and practiced through the pain, with the loss still fresh on their minds.
“He was, honestly, one of the greatest human beings that I’ve ever met,” said his friend Tyler Monzon.
“Before practice, we met as a team upstairs,” said Merritt. “We talked about how precious life is and how precious time is. We’re just trying to get these kids to think about something else for a couple hours, to help them deal with it and be around their brothers.”
What was supposed to be the start of the football season, Sunday night, turned into a private Mass in memory of Arteaga.
“He’s a coach’s kid. Ysha and J.D. Arteaga have raised a fine young man, and he’s the best that Columbus has,” said Chris Merritt, head football coach at the school.
More than 1,000 people filled a school auditorium. Some were left standing, a clear sign, Merritt said, of just how loved Arteaga was.
“That tells you a lot about the kid that [his parents] raised,” he said. “He was loved by everybody he touched.”
Monday afternoon, Monzon came to the site of the crash to find a makeshift memorial with flowers, a team baseball cap and a teddy bear.
“I have to drive this road every day to get home, so I felt like, if I didn’t leave something, to let him know that I’m here, I care for him,” he said. “I mean, what else could I do? I have to let him know that I’m here for him.”
— J.D. Arteaga (@JDArteaga33) July 30, 2018
Arteaga’s father tweeted out a statement that read in part, “We feel so humbled by all the emotional support we’ve been receiving from family, friends, fellow coaches and members of the UM and Columbus community. We’re trying to deal with our grief in a positive way. It’s been hard, but we’re looking for a silver lining.”
As Rambarran continues to recover, this community continues to mourn for an athlete and friend whose impact will be missed both on and off the field.
Arteaga’s football family ended Monday’s practice with a prayer.
“God puts us on this earth to leave a mark, and he left a mark,” said Merritt.
Authorities said drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the crash.
The school has cancelled all festivities planned to mark the start of football season.
Services for Arteaga have been planned for Wednesday evening.
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