New York High School mourns two former football aliens killed in separate shootings

The alumni, fans and football program of a South Jersey high school are in mourning this week following the loss of two former players.

Zaire Williams, 25, was fatally shot Monday morning in North Philadelphia.

A few days earlier, two men allegedly shot Eric Smith in an off-campus apartment near the University of West Virginia.

The two attended Timber Creek High School and played soccer there, coach Rob Hinson told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday.

"I have lost two players in the past few days," said Hinson. It was a very difficult time for us at Timber Creek.

Philadelphia police said Williams was shot dead Monday at 4 a.m. on the 1800 block of West Montgomery Avenue. The block is not far from the Temple Universitys campus and students live in the area.

After an argument, a man shot Williams, who was then taken to Temple University Hospital in a private vehicle, a police spokeswoman said Tuesday. Williams was pronounced dead at 4:38 p.m.

Police have not announced any arrests or charges in the case.

On February 28, Smith had an argument with two men in an off-campus apartment near WVU, after which suspects Shaundarius Reeder and Terrell Linear are accused of having shot Smith several times. They are accused of first degree murder, media in the region reported.

He was a good kid, a nice kid, a nice kid, very considerate, a good athlete, said Hinson of Smith. Another child lost far too early, 21 years old.

Smith, a defensive end and a tight end, played for Alderson Broaddus University in West Virginia and transferred to WVU as Hope on foot, said Hinson.

Social media lit up with tributes for Williams, who went to the Temple in 2013 after a career at Timber Creek where he was the 16th ranked player in the state and 33rd in the country. He was then transferred to the University of Maine.

Online tributes indicated that he had recently worked as a bouncer at West and Down, a nightclub in University City, Philadelphia. A The GoFundMe page called him part of the family it was club staff and shared photos of Williams with colleagues. (This page had raised more than $ 12,000, exceeding a goal of $ 10,000, Tuesday evening.)

And some professional players remembered him from their high school days competing against each other. Rest in peace in Zaire, tweeted Eli Apple, a New Orleans Saints cornerback who played for Eastern Regional. The Philadelphia Eagles, ball carrier Corey Clement, who played for Glassboro, also shared a tribute on his Instagram story.

These are all guys from South Jersey and it's a close knit community, said Hinson.

What happened in a few hours on Monday seemed to bear witness to this. Around 9:00 p.m., alumni, including Dajaun Drennon, a former UNC Tar Heels defender, held a candlelight vigil on the Timber Creek football field. Drennon also set up a GoFundMe for Williams.

Hinson couldn't do it because of his professional and family commitments, but heard that it was a touching moment.

We have had guys who haven't seen things over the years to fix things, put their differences aside, "he said.

He also encouraged anyone injured to let him out and talk to someone.

They might feel a certain way and don't mean, don't want to look sweet, said Hinson. It is not a question of sweetness. There is nothing wrong with that. … if there is someone you feel good with, talk to them. You will explode if you hold everything. "

The tributes on social networks also fondly recalled a special piece, now part of the tradition of Timber Creek, which starred Williams.

Against Kingsway, the Chargers lined up to a crackback block, where an offensive player, in this case Williams would run to the defense to make room.

He hit the child and hit his helmet 30 yards from the field, said Hinson. In that same match, he had a run in the middle. … He made these kinds of games, all the efforts, all the energies. "

Joe Brandt can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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