'I lost the love of my life': Girlfriend mourns loss of New Jersey high school quarterback, 17, who died during tackle as Chris Christie and New York Jets also pay tribute to talented athlete
- Warren Hills Regional High School quarterback Evan Murray died on Friday
- He felt 'woozy' after a tackle during a game and was taken to hospital
- The exact cause of the talented teen's death was not immediately known
- Girlfriend Bailey Reyes said the player has become her 'guardian angel'
- A GoFundMe page set up to benefit his family has raised almost $35,000
The girlfriend of the New Jersey high school football player who died after a tackle has led the flood of tributes to the talented young athlete.
Bailey Reyes wrote on Twitter that she had lost the 'love of my life' when Warren Hills Regional High School quarterback Evan Murray passed away late Friday night.
The 17-year-old felt 'woozy' following the hit but reportedly tried reassuring his teammates he would be fine as he was taken away by ambulance around halftime.
Reyes, a nursing student at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, was joined by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and the New York Jets as the condolences poured in.
NFL stars past and present, including Trent Cole and Plaxico Buress, also paid their respects while the town is still coming to terms with Murray's tragic death.
Scroll down for video
Bailey Reyes wrote on Twitter that she had lose the 'love of my life' after her boyfriend, Warren Hills Regional High School quarterback Evan Murray, died late Friday night during a tackle on the field
Murray, a 17-year-old, passed away leaving a game earlier in the evening and being sent to the hospital
Reyes a nursing student at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, led the flood of tributes to the 'hometown hero'
Reyes has since uploaded a picture of a memorial to the popular student and says he is her 'guardian angel'.
The teenager wrote on Instagram: 'September 25, 2015 will forever be the worst day of my life.
'I lost the love of my life because of a football accident. I cannot thank you enough Evan for loving me like you did and filling each and every day with laughter and smiles.
'You are my best friend and I knew I was going to marry you one day. I miss you so incredibly much and am struggling a lot but I know you are my guardian angel and are forever with me.
'I love you times infinity and always remember I also love you moe fly high my love.'
Medical authorities have not yet released exactly happened to cut short the life of the popular athlete, and the community that called him a 'hometown hero' is mourning the sudden loss.
'He tried giving a thumbs-up to the rest of the team, and all of us cheered,' Kaitlin Bell, 16, a junior varsity cheerleader at Warren Hills High School, told the New York Daily News.
'Our coach was telling us he was going to be alright,' she said through tears. 'We didn't expect anything would happen.'
Medical authorities have not yet released exactly happened to cut short the life of the popular athlete, and the community that called him a 'hometown hero' is mourning the sudden loss
Reyes has since uploaded a picture of a memorial to the popular student and says he is her 'guardian angel
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie shared his family's support for Murray on Twitter
The New York Jets joined the politician in tweeting their support following the death of the 'hometown hero'
Former New York Giants Super Bowl winner Plaxico Buress sent his condolences to the Murray family
Indianapolis Colts star Trent Cole also joined the flood of condolences posted online in the wake of the tragedy
School officials did not say how Murray was injured during the game, which the Warren Hills Blue Streaks lose 14-12.
Murray was hit in the backfield, but was able to get to the sideline of his own power, according to NJ.com.
He later collapsed on the sideline, sending the crowd quiet, before he eventually was taken away on a gurney.
The Daily News reported that he may have had a heart attack.
Murray was a three-sport athlete at Warren Hills and had been the football team's starting quarterback for three years as well as being in the National Honor Society.
One of Murray's friends, student Taylor Coughlin, told The Morning Call: 'Evan was an amazing athlete, friend, family member, student.
'He was the captain. He was the man.'
'He was an amazing student and he was never afraid to give out a hand to anyone. Just all around amazing student.'
'A guy everyone wanted to be like. A true hometown hero. You'll be missed. You'll always be the leader of this team,' teammate Mark Formichelli posted on Twitter.
A GoFundMe page set up to benefit his family and had already raised almost $35,000 as of Sunday afternoon.
Murray reportedly felt 'woozy' after he was hit in the game Friday night, but his coach told worried friends that he was going to be OK
A GoFundMe page for Murray's family had raised thousands of dollars in memory of the popular athlete as of Saturday afternoon
A GoFundMe page set up to benefit his family and had already raised almost $9,000 as of Saturday afternoon.
'Evan was a bright kid who excelled in academics and in sports. 'Varsity QB since his sophomore year, varsity baseball pitcher, and varsity basketball, Evan was always doing something to give back to his community,' the page said.
'Please help us while we help the Murray family in their time of need. Donating anything with help!'
Murray's school is making grief counselors available as students cope with the loss.
A statement from interim Superintendent Gary Bowen on Saturday called the school community 'deeply saddened'.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie posted on Twitter: 'On behalf of all the people of New Jersey, Mary Pat and I send our heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the Murray family on the loss of Evan'
University of North Carolina's National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research, 77 high school football players have died nationwide as the result of injuries directly related to the game in the past two decades, according to MyCentralJersey.
The center reported five direct fatalities on the scholastic gridiron last season, during which about 1.1million high school players competed, according to National Federation of State High School Association data.
Warren Hill has made grief counselors available to those students dealing with the sudden loss of their friend
- New Carl's Jr Tex Mex commercial pokes fun at border wall
- The Pope meets the Pope: Pontiff blesses baby dressed as him
- Sickening moment Stephen Piscotty is knocked unconscious
- First H&M ad which has Muslim model in a hijab
- Whoopi Goldberg talks about using the N word on The View
- Shocking moment journalist was hit by a CAR during live show
- Sam Kellet is seen spear fishing before fatal shark attack
- Elaborate trailer for TomorrowWorld Festival 2015
- 'Do you know who I am?': Driver loses it in road rage rant
- Washington Nationals players brawl in dugout during game
- Adorable baby Emu jumps around and excitedly chases a dog
- UK tourists skinny dip in one of Rome's historic fountains
- 'A truly kind and delicate Irish flower, too sensitive for...
- 'You're a disgusting human being': George Zimmerman provokes...
- Thousands stranded overnight in music festival 'from hell'...
- 'I lost the love of my life': Girlfriend mourns loss of New...
- The ultimate bad hair day: Woman ends up in hospital after...
- Woman who suffered severe burns as a baby uses Facebook to...
- Pictured: Fellow UCLA student, 22, arrested alongside...
- EXCLUSIVE: 'I’s just a n****r following orders around here...
- EXCLUSIVE - Revealed, AMERICAN jihadi is 'top ISIS...
- Walk on the wild side: Horns, extreme piercings and leopard...
- The most expensive homes in every state: From a Dallas...
- Audience left feeling ‘physically sick’ after watching The...