High School Runner Swept Away in Flooding

Aug. 24, 2007 — -- The widespread flooding in the Midwest has taken a heavy toll on many communities, but one that has been especially hard hit is Oklahoma City, where a high school student was swept into a lake during running practice Wednesday.

The tragedy has left a city in shock and a school in mourning.

Three students on the cross-country team were running near their high school, when they discovered the trail they were on had been cut off by rushing waters.

They thought they could cross, but the water was far deeper than they realized. One of the runners, Phillip Jones, 17, slipped under the water and was swept away.

"He was out of my hands, then he was just gone," said teammate J.D. Martinez. "I was the last person to see him. I wish he was still here. I wish I could have saved him. We did all we could."

The raging waters were spawned by nearly a foot of torrential rain in the area.

His teammates, friends and family are stunned and saddened.

"I wish I could have pulled him out of the water and pulled him to safety," Martinez said. "We were out there for 30 minutes just trying to find him. I wish I could have done more."

Jones's body was found 24 hours later.

At a candlelight vigil Thursday night, hundreds mourned a high school athlete who had everything to live for.

Jones's girlfriend said, "Phillip always had a smile or made us laugh."

Martinez and his cross-country teammates paid tribute in their own way, laying roses at the site and taking a moment for a team prayer.

"It's just a bunch of different emotions running, like getting hit with a train," Martinez said.