HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — Members of a local youth baseball team honored their teammate killed in a crash in a special way Friday.
Clifford White, 10, and his younger sister died in a car crash one week ago.
"Knowing that it is final and it did happen, it still is unreal,” said parent Kelly Oravetz.
Oravetz says this past week has been tough. Oravetz's son Garrett was a teammate and the best friend of Cliff White.
"I've tried to keep him busy, but at times, you know, he asks questions, you know, why it happened,” she said.
White and his younger sister Allie, 6, died in a crash along Highway 19 in Henry County.
"Clifford always had a smile on his face. He was always dancing, always telling jokes,” she said.
Oravetz says Cliff's sister Allie was his biggest cheerleader, at every game to show her support.
Fellow members of the "Gamers" team out of McDonough have taken the loss hard.
Friday night, the players wore Cliff’s number 2 on their jerseys as they played the first game since the accident.
"They do know that it will be sad but they want to play for Clifford and Allie. They are excited to play. That's what he loved to do was be on that baseball field," Oravetz said.
Cliff’s teammates made a special banner for the field.
Cliff and Allie's dad is an assistant coach on the team. He caught the opening pitch Friday night, thrown by Cliff’s best friend Garrett.
"When you coach any kind of sport, you become like a family,” said Cliff’s coach, Casey Wrye.
Wrye says the accident made him think about his own children and the rest of the players on his team.
"To me they're all my boys, so when you lose a boy like that, you know, it's tough,” he said.
During a special ceremony this weekend, the team plans to retire Cliff's number.
A parent of the player’s created this heartbreaking memorial video for the victims:
WSBTV
