'A Good Friend, A Good Teammate:' Friends, Coaches Mourning Teen After Drowning

We're learning more about the 18-year-old who drowned at Grand Lake on the Fourth of July. He was a star athlete and rising senior at Bishop McGuinness High School.

There has been an outpouring of support on social media over the weekend remembering Zach Tawwater as an exceptional student, friend, and teammate.

"To say gone too soon is an understatement," Derek Washington, president of Next Level Basketball, and Tawwater’s former coach, said. "Just heartbroken, everyone's devastated."

Rising Bishop McGuinness senior Zach Tawwater was swimming with friends at Grand Lake when he jumped from the roof of a dock.

The Grand River Dam Authority Police say he never resurfaced. "At a loss for words, we didn't know what to do," Washington said, describing when he heard the news. "It stopped me in my tracks."

Tawwater played on Washington’s AAU team in the summer. "He's as competitive as they get. Fierce, fierce competitor,” Washington said.

According to his former coach, Tawwater was a star athlete. He was skilled at basketball, but even more so at football. "He had a lot of things going for him. That's the toughest thing," Washington said.

Tawwater received his first offer to play Division 1 football at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire just days before his death.

But an outpouring on social media shows he was just as loved off the field. "Whether it's football, basketball, or the classroom, he just had that kind of personality," Washington said.

Zach's girlfriend wrote on Instagram in part, "...to know Zach was to love him...you just couldn't help but love him..."

Tribute posts like hers are amassing hundreds of comments, a testament to who Zach was. "Just as playful and light-hearted as can be. A good friend, a good teammate, just always wanting to see people win," Washington said.

He added that his organization will forever remember their teammate and friend. "We'll continue to raise his name high and honor him as much as we can," Washington said.

Tawwater's death was one of several Fourth of July drownings. Authorities reported at least five more across the state.