Rene Figueroa’s brightest moment on the basketball court came when he scored a school record 47 points.
But afterward he preferred to celebrate his team’s victory over a team they hadn’t beaten in tw.
Mark Kokinda witnessed the crash from his house:
“I was able to look at it from a field to the south. It’s pretty devastating. This helicopter flew over my farmer house near Cheese Factory Road and you could tell it was in trouble.”
He also said the National Guard has been out there since the first responders arrived at the scene.
“People out in the field looking for certain parts, as far back as a couple miles back from the crash site. I just hope and pray everything works out for the families of these individuals,” he said. “I’m sure a lot of people in this area will remember it for a long time.”