OSECOLA COUNTY, Fla. – Friends are mourning the loss of a former Osceola County High School football player.
Anne Arundel County Police reported a deadly crash near Baltimore, Maryland on Wednesday.
The collision between a car and an MTA Light Rail train left 17-year-old Lamar Patterson dead.
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His tragic death sent shockwaves through communities in Osceola County, the young football star used to play for Liberty High School.
He earned a spot on the varsity football team as a freshman.
His friends and supporters said they knew Patterson had a special gift.
Former teammate, La’Randy Swint said he took Patterson under his wing.
“He was the real deal, looked at me like a big brother,” Swint said.
Swint said his bond with the Patterson was deeper than the sport.
He said Patterson transferred from Liberty High School to St. Frances Academy in Maryland for football.
“Speed up the recruiting process,” Swint said. “He wanted to go play against the best.”
When Patterson left Kissimmee, Swint said he was rooting for him and was sure their relationship would not change.
“It was bigger than just him just going to a different school to get recruited, it was like man I can put my city on the map, he could create that pipeline,” Swint said.
He said they spoke two days before his death, planning their next meet-up. Swint said he expected this to happen.
“He’s gone you know we’ll never see Lamar again, it hurt,” he said.
Swint’s brother, Ja’Randy Swint also played football with Patterson. He considered him a close friend.
“We made history together at Liberty and it doesn’t seem real you know. I wouldn’t think nothing like that would happen to him,” Ja’Randy Swint said.
He said this feels like a nightmare he is unable to wake up from; now he is reflecting on the exciting memories the two made off and on the field.
Ja’Randy Swint described a moment in high school when Patterson intercepted the football during the game.
“He caught an interception, and he took it all the way back for like 100 yards and before he got in the end zone like he did a front flip in the end zone and the crowd just went crazy like, that was like the highlight play of the game,” he said.
The brothers remember Patterson as a hometown hero, with no doubts that he would have made it to the big leagues one day.
“My [most fun] time in high school was playing with him for real and it just crushed my soul that he [is] gone,” Ja’Randy Swint said.
Patterson was rated a 3-star wide receiver by 247sports.com. He reportedly had offers from Arizona State University and Boston College, among other schools.
A GoFundMe was created for Patterson’s family. The organizers are asking for donations to bring him back to Florida for a homegoing service.