Former Georgia high school wrestling star, 19, killed in jet ski crash

A former Georgia high school wrestling star was killed Saturday after the jet ski he was driving ran aground and struck a tree.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said an accident happened around 10:30 p.m. on Weiss Lake, which is just over the Georgia line.

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Daegen Vaughn, 19, from Summerville, was killed. A passenger on the WaveRunner, 22-year-old Mason Sterner, was injured and taken to the hospital. His condition has not been released.

Both men were wearing life jackets at the time of the crash.

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Vaughn was a wrestling and football star at Trion High School, which won the Class A state championship in wrestling in 2020 and 2022.

Coach Eric Brock coached Vaughn going back to his youth wrestling days since 2010. He said the small community will miss Vaughn’s larger than life personality.

“Our team is like a family. It’s about as close of a feeling to losing a son as you can imagine,” Brock told Channel 2. “He lit up the room as he walked in. He never met a stranger. He made everything around him better.”

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Vaughn’s funeral service is set for Thursday. Members of the Trion wrestling and football teams will serve as pallbearers.

In lieu of flowers, Brock said the wrestling team and his family are working to set up a scholarship fund in his memory.