The Galveston County Daily News

SANTA FE — Friends and teammates united around a grieving family Saturday after an early morning crash that killed high school athlete Kyle J. Adams.

Adams, 17, had left friends about 12:45 a.m. Saturday and was on his way home, when his eastbound GMC pickup truck veered off of state Highway 6 near Magnolia and hit a tree.

Investigators said they believed the wreck occurred about 1:20 a.m. Apparently, no one witnessed the crash. Officials learned of it more than four hours later, when Adams’ family members found the wreckage and called 9-1-1.

An earlier discovery would likely not have saved the teen, as officials believed Adams was killed instantly.

Adams was a student athlete at Santa Fe High School, and his death sent a jolt through those who knew him.

“This just shows that bad things happen to good people,” said Glenn McWhorter, who had known Adams since they played little league baseball together. “Kyle was such a good guy who was a friend to everyone he met.”

Upon hearing the news, members of the Santa Fe baseball team gathered at the Adams’ residence, where numerous students made their way to give condolences and to remember much happier days with Adams.

“It’s such a shock,” said Indians baseball coach Ronnie Wulf. “He was an outstanding young man, both on and off the field. Things were starting to pick up for him. His bat was starting to get hot, and he was also pitching on the side as well.”

All Santa Fe High School sporting events scheduled for Tuesday will be canceled. The school will also have grief counselors available for students beginning Monday morning.

Adams was also a quarterback for the Santa Fe football team last season, completing 47 passes for 671 yards and two touchdowns as the Indians made their second playoff appearance in school history. He was projected to be the starter for the 2006 season.

State Trooper Scott Ham-ilton said the investigation into the crash was in its infancy, with scarce answers as to why Adams went off the road, or how fast he was traveling at the time of the wreck.

“At this point, we’re still taking information and compiling it,” Hamilton said. “There were no skid marks and no debris on the road, so it’s hard to determine his speed at this point.”

Still, one element of many deadly crashes was apparently absent. Officials found no containers, nor any evidence that alcohol played a role in the accident that claimed the high school student’s life.

“There was nothing at the scene, and everything we’ve learned has told us that he didn’t drink, didn’t smoke,” Hamilton said. “This is just a case of a good kid who had a tragic, unfortunate accident.”

School officials also said Adams was the kind of kid who embodied the best aspects of student athletes.

“Kyle was a fine young man,” said an emotional Joe Krauskopf, Santa Fe’s football coach and athletic director, “not just as a player, but as a person. He was a quiet leader and very unselfish. He was the definition of a team player.”