POTOMAC, Md. — Friends, family and classmates said their farewells to Jake Cassell, the 17-year-old hit and killed by a car while riding his bike last week in Bethesda.
Friday afternoon, the auditorium at Churchill High School was filled by those celebrating a life cut short.
They remembered Jake as the friend who always had a smile and a kind word, giving hugs and high-fives in the hallway.
And at games -- whipping up school spirit -- as the Bulldog mascot for Churchill.
"Jake, if you can hear me, I miss our daily hugs and you changed our cheer team for the better," one classmate said Friday. "You brought such a wonderful appreciation for everything that life has to offer."
It happened Wednesday, July 31 at the intersection of Old Georgetown Road and Beech Avenue.
The driver, a 39-year-old Bethesda man, stopped and remained at the scene, police said. He was not injured.
At the time, Churchill High School Principal Brandice Heckert said Cassell was the school's mascot and "will be greatly missed." Cassell was the Churchill High School mascot.