COLUMBIA, S.C. —
Students and staff at Blythewood High School continue to mourn the loss of Troy Moore.
The 16-year-old junior who played on the school’s football team died away over the weekend.
Head Coach James Martin hosted a news conference to discuss the heartbreaking loss.
“When it hits your team and your school and your community, it takes on a totally different level that you can't even imagine,” said Martin.
Coach Martin spent over two years coaching Troy Moore on the football field.
Moore was a nose guard and defensive tackle player at the school. He was six feet tall, and many described him as a gentle giant.
“He was always the last player out, but he had a big smile even as he's leaving, he always asked, 'What can he do to help out the program?' 'What did we need?Anything?' Could he do something for somebody else. And again, that's just the character of who he was,” Martin said.
Everyone spoke about how Moore smiled and how he would carry that smile everywhere he went.
“Troy always had a big smile on his face when you come walking in. It's like, Sterling, I love you. I say I love you too,” Sterling Sanders, a friend of Moores, said.
On Saturday, the day Moore died, the school’s coaches began using the hashtag #TROYSTRONG.
This message is what his teammates are using to continue the season.
“I think it's - it really hits home to us ... that every day that we come to practice, and every day that we wake up in the morning, we have an opportunity to do something wonderful,” Coach Martin said. "And it's about not just for yourselves, but now to do something better for somebody else and to take those opportunities that we have."
The cause of Troy Moore’s death is unknown at this time.
A viewing is scheduled at Leevy's Funeral Home, 1831 Taylor St., Columbia, on Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Second Nazareth Baptist Church, 2300 Elmwood Avenue., Columbia.