MIAMI (WSVN) - A South Florida school community came together with heavy hearts as their football team played their first game without their teammate, months after, police said, he was fatally struck by an out-of-control drunk driver.
Antonio Dumay would be cheering his son on the gridiron at Miami Edison Senior High School, but on Friday, he found himself grieving his loss once again.
“I’m still feeling sad, but an honor is an honor,” he said. “I miss everything about him, even the bad attitude. I still miss him.”
His son, Richecarde Dumay, or Rich, was a kicker for the Miami Edison Raiders, but he never lived to play in the 2019 high school preseason opener.
Police said Richecarde and two of his friends were killed when Mariam Coulibaly struck them as they were walking to a bus stop in North Miami, May 25.
The trio, who were members of the Little Haiti Soccer Club, were on their way to play in a soccer tournament in Weston that Saturday morning.
“Every time I think about it, I’m about to cry,” said the elder Dumay.
Since that tragic event, the Raiders have been working toward Friday night’s celebration to honor and remember Richecarde.
“He was the kid that would come and motivate kids, even when they were having a bad day,” said Uncle Luke Campbell, the team’s coach. “Richard would be the one that would walk and pat them on the back.”
As they stood on the same field where he also played soccer, the football team paid tribute to their star kicker.
His father and teammates said Richecarde’s spirit and memory can and will last forever.
“That makes me feel like he’s still alive,” said Dumay. “When I see that, to me, he’s still living in me.”
“That’s a teammate that I had a connection with,” said Raiders player Darius Baker. “That’s a teammate that something bad happened to all of a sudden. He’s looking down on us, and now we just got to keep grinding.”
Coulibaly is due back in court Sept. 16.
The Raiders won Friday night’s game.
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