**Warren High School students embrace at a memorial set up for Jaylon Connish. (Photo by Alex Dominguez)**

DOWNEY - Students gathered at a memorial outside of Warren High School on Monday after a single-vehicle car crash left one dead and two others injured over the weekend.

Jaylon Connish, 17, of Carson, was killed Saturday night when a gray 2010 Nissan Altima overturned off the southbound 5 freeway, north of the 605 freeway, rolling approximately 200 yards down into an embankment.

Officials say that only the driver, identified by CHP as 17-year-old Dajon Hancox from Compton, was wearing a seatbelt. Connish, along with third passenger Juan Wilson, were ejected from the vehicle.

All three were transported to a local trauma center.

Wilson remains in critical condition, according to reports.

The identities of the students – along with their conditions - were reported by CBS Los Angeles.

A steady crowd began to form around the makeshift memorial outside Warren High’s security gate shortly after classes let out Monday. Students shed tears and embraced as they remembered their friend.

“His smile alone could brighten up somebody’s day,” said Kylen Bennett, a 17-year-old teammate of Connish. “He was always positive; it was never a bad time. That’s somebody I could honestly say I looked up to. If it was something he was doing, I know that I needed to be doing it; if he wasn’t doing it, I knew I shouldn’t be doing it. If he was doing it, I knew it was right to follow along, no questions asked.”

Ximena Pescio, 16, said that Connish – called “Jaycon” and “Smiley” by friends – was “a blessing.”

“He was a light,” said Pescio. “His smile, his spirit, he would always find a way to uplift everybody.”

Pescio found out about her friend’s passing Sunday morning.

“At first I thought it was a lie, I thought, ‘They’re probably just trolling,’” said Pescio. “When I saw everybody else post it, I knew it was real, and that’s when I found out Jaycon passed.”

She added that the loss would be felt beyond the Warren campus.

“To be honest, it’s not just here, it’s everywhere; everywhere Jaycon was, and all the people he knew,” said Pescio. “It’s impacted all of us, each and every one of us in its own way. It’s hurt me, it’s really been devastating for me.”

Connish had committed to play football at Western New Mexico University. According to a post on the Warren Athletics Instagram page, he intended to study business and accounting.

Warren Athletic Director Samantha Miyahara described Connish as “a remarkable young man.”

“He always did things right, and he was such a mature young man,” said Miyahara. “He worked really hard. He knew his own deficiencies – and there weren’t many of them – and so he went after those, and he really held himself accountable for everything.”

She added that he was a good friend, a good teammate, and was loyal.

“I think he just epitomized everything we want a student athlete to be,” said Miyahara. “He worked hard, he took care of business in the classroom, he did everything he could to be a great football player, but I think most importantly he was just a remarkable young man.”

Downey Unified released a statement after the accident, saying in part:

“Our Downey Unified family is heartbroken that we have lost one of our Warren High School students, a young man with a bright future ahead of him who has been such a big part of our Downey Unified family. Our prayers are with our two students who are currently fighting and, as a Downey Unified family, we will rally around them and their families to support them during this extremely challenging time.”

Mental health professionals were on the Warren High campus this week for students and staff who needed it.

Warren High students mourn classmate killed in car crash