Holly Pond's Dayden Floyd, left, and Joshua McGinnis are pictured.

Tragedy befell the Holly Pond community Sunday night, leaving students and adults to grieve over the loss of two young athletes.

Dayden Floyd and Joshua McGinnis — both members of the high school baseball program — were killed in a single-vehicle wreck, and a tight-knit town has since been plunged into unexpected sorrow.

Floyd was a junior and McGinnis, a sophomore. The latter also played football.

“We love our school and our kids,” Principal Steve Miller said. “My whole career, I’ve kind of treated them like they are mine. To lose two is really difficult. Our thoughts and prayers and anything we can do for those families, obviously. I can’t imagine what they’re going through.”

Miller said he heard the news on Monday morning and spent much of the day returning calls and emails.

“Then it was coming up with a plan to try and hopefully make things a little better,” he said.

But the plan changed quickly.

Members of the community gathered at the baseball field on Monday night to celebrate the lives of Floyd and McGinnis. Miller opened with a few words from the heart and then led the sizable crowd in prayer before students congregated around the mound and released numerous balloons under the lights in honor of their fallen classmates.

Near the mound was painted their respective jersey numbers and a simple message: “Rest Easy.”

“None of that was planned,” Miller said, “other than to turn the baseball lights on and give people a chance to come and honor Josh and Dayden. I think it was really good for the kids. Our initial plan was just to do a drive-through, but I think it was a great thing. Our student body was extremely respectful, and I think they did a lot to encourage each other and the families of both those young men. It’s a long road to healing when something like this happens, but last night was a good start.”

With schools closed and sports canceled due to the recent coronavirus pandemic, it’s made an already tough grieving process that much more difficult for those involved. Counselors, however, will be available by phone.

Miller made it clear his students would be taken care of, despite the circumstances.

“We’re doing all we can do in this current situation,” he said. “It’s really tough when you realize the importance of our staff and faculty, and the support from our central office staff and how hard they work to make sure everyone is taken care of. For those guys not to be part of this on a normal scale makes it difficult in this situation. And then athletics — I think one of the most important things a kid can do is be part of an athletic program. You go to game and, for two hours, it can be about the game. And there’s a healing process there. So to be without those things makes it hard. But those things will come back, and we will support our kids the best we know how until then.”