UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — The Wise High School Football Community is mourning the loss of three of its alumni after an early morning crash Saturday. 23-year-old Isaiah Hazel, 24-year-old Khyree Jackson and 24-year-old Anthony Lytton, or A.J., shared the field during a state championship season for the Pumas in 2016.
All three pursued division one football opportunities and Jackson, who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings this past spring, was preparing to attend his first NFL training camp this month.
Maryland State Police say around 3 a.m. Saturday the car Hazel, Jackson and Lytton were riding in was hit by a speeding driver and knocked off the roadway, crashing into multiple tree stumps.
“I love them, and I wish I could say it to them one more time," said Steve Rapp who coached the three at Wise High School as an assistant. “We stand by 'Once a Puma always a Puma.' Look, man, the legacy of those guys is going to live on forever.”
“I don’t think you can say what you’re happy about in something like this, except, for me, at least they were together," said Hazel, Jackson and Lytton's former Wise Head football Coach DaLawn Parrish. “We are all sort of at a loss and you try to get facts from what you think happened and try to know from different reports, but in the end, what you do know is that we lost three young men. That’s final.”
Hazel and Lytton reached the division one ranks playing at Maryland and Penn State respectively. Lytton was getting ready to finish his football career at Bowie State this fall. Jackson played college football at Alabama and Oregon.
"All these young men are phenomenal stories of perseverance," said Wise High School Athletic Director, Jason Gordon. "Striving to achieve your goals, striving to make your dreams come true. They’re all great achievers."
“All of those young men were tight. Those three played together," said Parrish. "It’s amazing that they went three separate ways in terms of going to college and playing football but was still always together when they came back home in the summertime.”
And all three made a point to return to Wise High School whenever they could. Including Jackson, right after he was taken in the 4th round of the NFL Draft.
"Right after he got drafted, he came over to the school and spoke to the young men in the weight room about his process. Running his race and not anybody else’s," said Rapp. "AJ and Isaiah were just at the school about two weeks ago."
Hazel, Jackson and Lytton will be remembered by this coaching staff in a number of ways and for an unforgettable season of high school football.
“We’re talking about three game changers. They played on what I call the best team in Wise history, that’s 2016," said Rapp. “All three of these young men are the epitome of what Wise is and being great in the community.”
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