Hundreds clad in black and light blue filed onto the soccer field at C. Milton Wright High School with candles in hand. No. 3 balloons hung along the fence as somber music filled the air.
Some left flowers in front of a banner that read “BE #3” with messages of love and memories written on it. Others embraced, weeping while coming together for a candlelight vigil to honor Blake Elliott, 16, who was killed in a crash Thursday that also left another teen critically injured.
“I want to thank you on behalf of my family, because you guys have showed up big. Make no mistake about it, we’re devastated, but you guys help … put us back together,” Elliott’s father, Rob, said while choking up.
Elliott would have loved the event, “and I know she’s watching,” he said. He showed his love to the soccer team, saying he would still yell at the girls from the sidelines. He thanked all the coaches, kids he used to coach and their families for showing support.
Elliott was described as a strong, funny and outgoing person who was “really amazing” at soccer. She was a star player at the school and was recently named The Aegis’ Girls Soccer Player of the Week for racking up six goals through the team’s first five games, scoring at least once in each match. A message on the banner read, “So happy you assisted my first var[sity] goal this season. I was so excited for more.”
In their light blue jerseys, members of the team set Elliott’s on the turf and gathered around, arms wrapped around each other while sharing laughs and tears. Their moment was followed by messages from local religious officials, candle lighting, a moment of silence and song.
“We are all players on the same team. And now it’s time to link up with each other and just comfort each other, pray for each other, spend time with each other, cry with each other, laugh with each other, and talk about some good memories that we had with Blake,” Keith Vazquez, pastor at Recovery Church in Bel Air, said.
Thursday’s crash near C. Milton Wright High School on Maryland Route 543 in Bel Air involved two cars and a Harford County school bus. Police and school officials have not confirmed the names of the teens because they are juveniles, but community members identified Elliott as the student who died and her boyfriend, fellow classmate Zach Griffin, as the teen who remains in critical condition. A GoFundMe page for Elliott’s family has been organized to help with “financial and emotional support,” while a separate GoFundMe for Griffin’s family is raising support as he continues to receive care at Shock Trauma.
“Zach was one of my favorite people,” Elliott’s brother said. “I always talked to him when we played soccer, and he was the first guy I knew at this school, except for, of course, my sister and my friends.”
On Friday morning, a banner reading “Once a Mustang, always a Mustang” and “We love you” with Elliott’s photo hung at the scene of the crash. Dozens in the community approached the site while shedding tears, leaving flowers, snacks and a hoodie. Officials at the school canceled Friday’s football and volleyball games, as well as all after-school activities, while students and families mourned.
“As many of you know, our school community suffered a tragic loss last night with the passing of one of our students. Another student from our school is currently being treated for serious injuries at the hospital. I am very proud of the way our students came together this morning to support one another,” Principal Bryan Pawlicki said in a message to the school community.
Elliott always “had a smile on her face” and “when you needed someone to go to, Blake was the realest one that you had,” friends said. One recounted their days in class, where Elliott would always ask her to braid her hair. On this particular day, she finished the braid after it initially fell out, the school bell rang and “I didn’t get to say goodbye or I love you,” the friend said.
She was “full of fun and full of life,” her cousins said, recalling making cookies together at Christmas time, playing hide-and-seek and her infectious laugh. Her brother said Elliott always had a joke to crack when he came home, saying she is one of his “favorite people in the whole world.”
After a closing prayer, the community gathered, holding tight for more hugs as others added messages to the banner. Some let a No. 3 balloon into the air at midfield.
Elliott would’ve been happy to see everyone on the soccer field, a friend said, “because that’s where she wants us to be, and we love you forever, Blake, and you’ll never be forgotten.”
Baltimore Sun reporters Shaela Foster and Bryna Zumer contributed to this article. Have a news tip? Contact Kiersten Hacker at khacker@baltsun.com or @KierstenHacker on X.
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