PROCTORVILLE - Antwuane A. Brown may have become a track star if he had attended college, but to those who knew him he was already a superstar as a person and a friend.

The 19-year-old standout athlete and 2003 Fairland High School graduate died early Saturday morning from injuries sustained in a car accident Friday.

Brown was riding with his grandparents Wilson, 58, who was driving, and Sandra Brown, 55. The Browns were traveling southbound on State Route 7 on a return trip from Rio Grande University where Brown had attended orientation and planned to run track.

At approximately 3:10 p.m., the vehicle left the road and overturned near the 15 mile marker in Rome Township, according to a news release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The Browns were taken to Cabell Huntington Hospital. Antwuane Brown passed away at 8:15 a.m. Saturday. Wilson Brown remains in stable condition at the hospital. Sandra Brown was treated and released, the media release stated.

At this time, the accident is considered a one-vehicle crash but remains under investigation, said Lt. Carl Roark, commander of the Ohio State Highway Patrol's Ironton Post.

Many of Brown's friends and classmates have been attending a makeshift memorial on State Route 7 where the accident occurred, said Justin Wine, Antwuane's friend.

"We are all just keeping in touch," he said. "We do not want to leave anyone without someone to talk to."

Wine moved to the Fairland School district five years ago. Antwuane quickly became one of his first and best friends, Wine said.

"He was an all-around good guy who could get along with anyone," he said. "He would do anything for anybody without hesitation. He was a good friend."

Another friend, Paul Maxwell III,

and his father, Paul Maxwell Jr., decided to put together a public memorial service as a "tribute to his life" and to help friends and loved ones cope. The service will be hosted at 7 p.m. tonight at Fairland High School.

Antwuane was such a loved young man, and his friends and classmates were crying out for something, Maxwell Jr. said.

"There are two stories here. There is a sports story about an exceptional athlete, but there is also a story about a little boy who wanted to become homecoming king and did," the elder Maxwell said. "He was the only black kid in the school but color never came into effect with these kids. All they ever saw was Antwuane."

One of the focuses of the service will be the establishment of a scholarship fund in Brown's honor.

"It is one of the ways to continue his legacy," Maxwell said. "We want him to live on."

Donations to the Antwuane Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund can be made to Classic Bank, 201 State Street, in Proctorville, Ohio 45669.

Pastor Jeff Black of the First Baptist Church in Proctorville knew Antwuane well. Even though the young man attended church in Huntington, W.Va. with his grandparents, he came to many of the youth meetings at First Baptist with his friends.

Antwuane was a well-liked kid who was always very respectful and will always be remembered, Black said.

"He made a profession of faith and knew he was going to Heaven," Black said. "He was a kid that enjoyed life to the fullest extent."

For reactions from Brown's coaches, see Sports on page 7.