Darius would have turned 18 on Friday, the same day that would have seen him play in his senior year homecoming game with the Williamstown High School football team.
MONROE TWP. -- It wasn't the celebration she originally wanted, but Linda Williams was able to wish her son, Darius Boyer, a happy birthday in another way.
Darius would have turned 18 on Friday, the same day he would've played in his senior year homecoming game with the Williamstown High School football team. The wrestler and football player drowned at the beginning of July while swimming with friends in a former quarry.
Just before the game against Eastern High School began, dozens of Darius' family and friends gathered in the end zone to release balloons in honor of his birthday.
Dusk had just settled on the stadium as Harold Boyer, Darius' father, watched the crowd fill the end zone, each person holding balloons in Williamstown's signature blue and white.
"I've been living in Delaware the last four years," he said. "But I've been back since July, and I don't want to leave anymore. There's so much love in Williamstown."
That love is what has kept the people who cared about Darius going over the last few months. The birthday celebration had been organized with the help of football parents, and the local ShopRite store had donated more than 400 balloons for the occasion. Williams, who paused to hug nearly every teenager who came up to talk to her, has referred to the students as her angels.
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"Linda is a beautiful person. I think the kids are keeping her motivated," said Lisa Federico, whose daughter is a high school cheerleader. "I think Linda thrives on their support."
Tom Sprenger, a close friend who rapped and recorded music with Darius as a hobby, performed an original song, "62," named for his friend's football number. The crowd drew in closer as Sprenger began.
"I know you're looking down with that cheek-to-cheek smile," he said. "...God took my brother Darius 'cause the good die young."
At Sprenger's count, his friends and classmates released their balloons -- with plenty of tears, yes, but with just as many smiles dotting the crowd.
"Happy birthday, Darius!" he called to the sky.
"Happy birthday!" echoed 30 other voices.
Shortly after, two football players came off the field from their warmup to release a pair of balloons different from the others: a giant 62. A few minutes later, the game was under way. Williamstown would go on to win, just as they have nearly every other game this season.
"It was beautiful. It meant the world to me to see that it wasn't just me who loved him," Williams said afterward. "He had the best friends. If I had hand-picked them myself I couldn't have done better."
A highlight of the night came in the form of Sprenger's song.
"For him to put those memories into a song means a lot," said Williams. "It wasn't just expressing pain. It was expressing love."
Andy Polhamus may be reached at apolhamus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ajpolhamus. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.