Friends, coaches remember Riverton teen killed in remote Tooele County crash

RIVERTON — Friends, coaches and others in the community on Wednesday were remembering a teen killed in a crash in remote Tooele County.

Utah Highway Patrol confirmed 16-year-old Conner Russell died in the crash early Sunday, which happened on state Route 36 near Rush Valley.

According to investigators, Conner was a passenger traveling with 18-year-old Jaxon Douglas-David Wood when Wood's truck went across the road, through a barbed wire fence and rolled.

Both Conner and Wood were ejected, and Conner died at the scene, according to troopers.

"How the headline read, I had to stop," said Jeremy Beck, who coached Conner in youth football.

On Monday, Wood was charged with second-degree felony automobile homicide as well as misdemeanor reckless endangerment and DUI, among other counts.

Coaches said both teens had played youth football in the Riverton area.

Beck beamed about Conner's personality and maturity beyond his years.

"Every now and then you meet a kid that mentors you more than you mentor him," Beck told KSL-TV. "Conner was that kid."

Beck said back around 2017, he would pick Conner up from school and take him to practice and sometimes drive him home after practice.

He said he was a "happy kid" who was "always smiling" — attributes once again echoed about the teen by one of his high school football coaches.

"He's the life of the party — I'm not going to lie," said Riverton High School running backs coach Wade Davis. "He was always the one to be with the guys in the huddle at the end, and always being with the guys — the brothers, his brothers — and he was happy. He was one that everyone wanted to be around, and everyone wanted to be with him, and so he had that energy and light to him."

Davis said Conner left the football program at Riverton High early last fall, and since the crash, he has questioned what he and other coaches could have done differently.

"It's hard," Davis said. "It's hard for us as parents, as coaches, as friends because you always think, 'What was my last moment with him; what could have I said?'"

Family friend Mandee Francom stated via text Wednesday that Conner's mother was a single, hard-working mom, that she "adored" him and was his "biggest fan" — "especially when it came to his sports."

She organized one of two GoFundMe* accounts set up to help Conner's family after the ordeal. You can view those accounts here and here.

Francom said Conner's mother has appreciated people's "love, support and donations from complete strangers."

"I want her to know she is loved and feels supported financially through this difficult time," Francom stated. "No parent should have to experience losing a child."

Jordan School District spokesperson Sandy Riesgraf said the district's thoughts and prayers were with Conner's family, and that grief counselors were going to be present at Riverton High starting Monday when students return from spring break.

Davis said he knew Conner loved his teammates, and Conner knew he was loved in return.

Beck said he will always remember how Conner contributed to his teams and called him a "champion."

"Conner was a big part of that, you know — he loved his brothers and his football brothers," Beck said. "We didn't lose a good one — we lost a great one."

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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