Cedar Crest football player dies in a car crash over the weekend, school officials report

Members of the Cedar Crest High School community are in mourning after a student and football player was involved in a fatal accident over the weekend, district officials said.

Michael Rivera, an 11th-grade student, died Saturday night as a result of a car crash. The details of that crash have not been released as of Tuesday morning.

Cornwall-Lebanon Superintendent Philip Domencic said the whole district has been sadden by the news of Rivera's passing. The district has been providing counselors for students and staff at the high school Monday.

"On behalf of our entire school district community, we extend our deepest sympathy to Michael’s family and friends during this very difficult time," he said in a release on the district's website.

Rivera was a big kid with a big personality, football coach Rob Wildasin said. He was always "very, very, very kind, pleasant, friends with everybody" kind of person.

"Mike was really an outgoing kid, so he had a lot of friends here in the school and in the community," he said. "He was a really easy kid to like. Everybody called him 'Big Mike,' but I'm not sure it's cause of his size. It's really kind of his personality and his character as well."

Rivera loved to play football and basketball, according to his obituary. Michael was outgoing, kind to everyone and always eager to lend a helping hand. He was very anxious to start his career as an electrician and loved spending time with his cousins.

The Cedar Crest football team cancelled their Sunday practice and kickoff meeting with the parents after receiving the news. A message expressing condolences to Rivera's family was posted on the Falcon Football Club's Facebook Page Sunday.

"There's no replacing him," Wildasin said. "In the locker room, I guarantee where ever he was, something was happening ... He was a good kid, and he was always a character. Wherever he was, something was going down and kids would gravitate to him cause of that. He always had them laughing (by) doing something or saying something."

Wildasin said Rivera is a loss to the Cedar Crest community and everyone, including the football team, will need to lean on each other for comfort, support, and understanding in the upcoming days.

"I think our biggest message is to stick together, work through this together, be open and available to each other (and) understand that it's a process that's going to take a long time," he said. "There's going to be highs and lows, moments of real sadness and grief, and others we're there will be laughing and enjoying his memory."

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the Rivera family's expenses. A viewing will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, April 28, at Thompson Funeral Home, Inc. More details about arraignments can be found at the funeral home's website.

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on Twitter at @DAMattToth.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Cedar Crest football player dies in a car crash over the weekend