Crash Kills Newport Harbor Football Star

A record-setting football star at Newport Harbor High School was killed early Sunday morning when his car crashed into a guardrail on a Riverside County freeway.

Andre Stewart, 18, was driving a 1999 Nissan Altima east on the Pomona Freeway near Pyrite Street at 3:30 a.m. Sunday when he lost control and went into the guardrail, California Highway Patrol officials said. His half-brother Lamar, a freshman at Newport Harbor, was a passenger in the car, but suffered only minor injuries, officials said.

Instead of celebrating Mother’s Day, Stewart’s classmates and their parents spent part of the day at the 50-yard line of the high school football field, putting together a memorial to their friend. They also held prayer sessions and swapped memories of the star running back, a senior at the school.

“For the boys to keep talking is really important,” said Meredith Jones, whose son Blair was on The Times All-Orange County team with Stewart. “They are sharing memories and reliving football memories. It’s a way of mourning.”

CHP spokesman Dennis J. Welch said alcohol did not appear to be a factor in the accident. Stewart, who was not wearing a seat belt, may have fallen asleep at the wheel, the CHP said. Welch said an investigation is continuing.

Last season, Stewart was named Southern Section Division VI offensive player of the year and the Newport-Mesa Unified School District’s most valuable player after having a key role in the Sailors’ 1999 Southern Section championship. He rushed for a school single-season record of 2,380 yards and scored 26 touchdowns.

The awards were hard-won for Stewart, vice principal Lee Gaeta said. His mother, Sonja William, struggled to get him into a good school district and keep him away from drugs and violence in southern San Jose, where he had lived most of his life.

Stewart remained in San Jose after his mother moved to Orange County. Four years ago, after she got an office job, she brought Andre to live with her, Gaeta said.

They lived in Costa Mesa and when they moved to Fontana earlier this year, Stewart was allowed to continue attending the school, Gaeta said.

Stewart thrived on the field and among his peers. He stunned veteran coaches with his determination while dazzling his friends.

“If you didn’t know him, you knew of him,” said schoolmate Jessica Iverson, 16, who came with her family to see the memorial. “He was somebody you wanted to get to know. We are all shocked.”

Seventy teens and parents gathered at the home of Brad Craig, whose father, the Rev. Earl Craig, led them in prayer, Blair Jones said.

Later, coaches and players brought Stewart’s jersey, No. 2, to the 50-yard line with a poster featuring several photographs of him dressed for a winter formal in a jacket and striped bow tie with Jonett Hefty, his date, wearing a red dress.

Hefty, who came to see the impromptu memorial, remembers how she had invited Stewart to the school’s winter formal dance four months ago. To entice him, she gave him a cake decorated with one word: “Formal?”

Stewart was widely admired for his athletic skills, Coach Jeff Brinkley said.

“If he was in a social setting that he was comfortable, he was more of an extrovert,” Brinkley said. “Put in a situation outside his comfort zone, he was pretty much an introvert.

“His physical ability on the field was certainly a pleasure to watch. He had such instincts for running the football. The thing he could do was really finish a run.”

While Stewart’s talent interested Division I four-year college recruiters, bad grades prompted him instead to enroll in Saddleback College next year.

His peers saw him as a team player who in many ways represented the spirit of their school.

“After every one of his touchdowns, he just put the ball down on the line and walked back,” said Billy Clayton, 18, a wide receiver and safety. “He played for all of us. It wasn’t about him.”

Principal Bob Boies said Stewart had worked hard to improve between junior and senior year.

“I have been in the bus a long time, and I have never seen a kid improve like that. He was average as a junior and the best running back I’ve ever seen as a senior. He was the difference between us and a number of schools” in football competition.

Boies said counselors and psychologists will be available for students today in the school library.

Jones said it will be one of the most difficult days of his life. “Most everyone knows of Andre Stewart,” he said. “It’s going to be a pretty bad day tomorrow. I played with him for four years. He meant a lot to everyone, but he meant a lot more to his teammates.”

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Contributing to this report were staff writer Martin Henderson and correspondent Andrew Glazer.

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Andre Stewart succeeded on and off the field at Newport Harbor. D1