PORT ST. LUCIE — St. Lucie West Centennial High School baseball players stood silently Monday morning at a utility pole surrounded by flowers, signed baseballs, bats and balloons.
Hand-written notes and remembrances adorned the concrete pole on Southwest California Boulevard north of Southwest Heatherwood Boulevard.
About 10:30 p.m. Saturday, a 2003 Toyota Camry driven south by Christian Bono, 16, crashed, said Senior Sgt. Lisa Marie Carrasquillo, police spokeswoman.
Christian and front seat passenger Nehemiah Turban, 16, died, while a 15-year-old boy sustained severe injuries. That boy was identified as Matthew Bono, Christian’s brother.
The Bono siblings played baseball at St. Lucie West Centennial, while Nehemiah played at Treasure Coast High School.
“He would always keep everybody up. If we were down in the game, he would scream at everybody to start talking it up in the dugout. Get the dugout up,” Bobby Boden, 15, said of Christian. “He’s just always like a bright spirit. Never seen him sad.”
Bobby, who said he plays first and third base and pitches, said he met Matthew this year.
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Bobby said he “clicked instantly” with Matthew.
Bobby said Christian was known to “shotgun” Bang energy drinks. He said a teammate found an empty Bang can he knew was Christian’s and they were all signing it.
Austin Spataro, 17, who said he is going to be a junior at Treasure Coast High School, said Nehemiah, known as “Nemo,” was “something else.”
He said they were friends for several years and played baseball.
“We still had a little bond, never really broke away,” Spataro said. “We connected back last year. We lost each other for awhile, but then we came back.”
Chris Calvo said he taught the Bono siblings at West Gate K-8 and became friends of the family.
“Christian, he was my multiplication champion, best multiplication kid I ever had,” Calvo said. “He was the only student to almost beat me.”
Calvo said throughout the years, Christian returned to his classroom and they’d talk.
“He was always that kid that was trying to make somebody laugh, trying to be goofy,” Calvo said. “I teach like that, and that’s how we formed our relationship. Matthew is a little quieter … We had our own relationship as well through the years.”
Calvo said Matthew went through surgery Sunday and has a long road to recovery.
Carrasquillo said the Toyota crossed the northbound lane before crashing into the pole on the east side of Southwest California Boulevard.
“They were traveling too fast to negotiate a slight right-hand curve,” Carrasquillo said.
She said the vehicle caught fire.
Fernando Camareno said he plays third base for Centennial, and said he grew up with all three boys.
“Christian was full of life,” Fernando said. “He lived life to the fullest and he always put a smile on everybody’s face.”
Fernando said Nehemiah was “a little hard-headed, but he was starting to change his life.”
There are gatherings of players and coaches Tuesday at Treasure Coast High School and Wednesday at St. Lucie West Centennial.
Treasure Coast baseball coach David Morales said the gathering is important.
“It lets the boys say what they need to say about Nehemiah. It brings a togetherness,” he said. “We’re more than a program, we're a family. It gives moral support, mental support.”
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St. Lucie West Centennial baseball coach Philip Russ said bringing the team together might help.
“Some guys who are vocally or emotionally closed off, this will let them be with their extended family. To be able to be together and lay eyes on each other is what they need,” Russ said.
“Our program is built on relationships and with them being spread out, it’s just to let them be able to grieve together and be at the place where we were all together last."
Joseph Reiprecht, 15, plays second base and said he knew Christian since first grade.
“He’s always funny, always energetic, never too serious,” Reiprecht said. “Any time you’re in a room where it was too serious, he’d always make you laugh. He’s just an awesome kid.”
Staff writer Jon Santucci contributed to this report
Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. He also covers strange, wild and weird Treasure Coast crimes in “Off The Beat.” Follow Will on Twitter @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-692-8936. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com
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