Hendersonville – Distinguished, recent Hendersonville High School student athlete Elyja Kieshaun Gibbs was mourned and honored at a vigil at HHS hours after his fatal car crash and remembered as a positive-minded and jovial young man.
Gibbs, 17, died last Thursday morning, Feb. 9, from a high-speed crash, according to the N.C. Highway Patrol. Gibbs reportedly lost control of the car he was driving on U.S. 64 when nearing Crab Creek Road in Transylvania County. He crossed the center line, veered beyond the road’s left shoulder, then crashed into a tree, according to the Highway Patrol. The vehicle slid down an embankment near Crab Creek Road in Transylvania County. He was the vehicle’s sole occupant and was found dead on the scene.
His mother, Altavise Gibbs, stated on Facebook that her son “was headed out to see a friend.” The weather was bad. He (tried but) did not make the turn.”
Vigil for Number 10
The vigil for Gibbs was held at HHS on Thursday evening. A few dozen people attended, including many of his football teammates. His number 10 red jersey was put on the athletic field, at one of the ten-yard lines. Candles on a large board spelled out “10.” In a touching culmination, more than 60 red and white (the HHS school colors) balloons were released up toward the heavens.
Gibbs was further honored at the start of both HHS home varsity basketball games on Friday, Feb. 10. Both HHS squads each won the opening tap and purposely held the ball to incur a 10-second backcourt violation. That reflected Gibbs number 10. Lady Bearcat players wore wristbands inscribed with “10” and a heart. Gibbs’ cousin Malachi Simpson scored a layup for the Bearcat boys’ 10th and 11th points, in yet another tribute to Gibbs’ number ten.
HHS boys (21-3, 11-1 MFC) and girls (16-8; 11-1) both beat Patton, to clinch Mountain Foothills regular-season crowns. The Bearcats won the title outright. The Lady Cats tied East Rutherford atop the MFC.
HHS principal Bobby Wilkins told the Tribune that this is the fourth traffic fatality involving an HHS student since he became the principal in 2001. He “hated” to get the news of Gibbs’ death.
He noted how the Bearcat “family” mourns Gibbs. Wilkins and HHS head football coach Kirron Ward both noted they stayed in the background at the vigil, having HHS students speak in tribute to Gibbs. “They stepped up and said what he meant to them,” Wilkins said.
Coach Ward said, “This is such a tragedy. My heart is broken. I knew his family well. I grew up with his father, Scooter Gibbs, in our neighborhood. Elyja’s mom was also extra supportive of Elyja. I feel so bad for them. I was extra emotional at the vigil. I wanted the focus to be on Elyja and his brothers and teammates. They’re all taking it hard.”
Wilkins held a moment of silence for Gibbs at the end of the next school announcement that he made over the school’s public address system. Wilkins prefaced the silence by noting that “we lost one of our fellow students.”
‘Great Guy’
Principal Wilkins told the Tribune that “Elyja was a great guy. He’d talk to anybody.”
Elyja was “a light to everyone that he touched,” Altavise Gibbs stated. “Every kid that he came in contact with — their lives will be changed forever.”
Joreeca Dinnall agreed. She often spoke with Gibbs in her role as the HHS school resource officer. She regularly attends various Bearcat sporting events. Thus, she sees student-athletes both in their sports and at school. “Elyja will always be a kid to remember,” Dinnall told the Tribune. “His athletic abilities reminded me of someone in the pros. He will always be known for being a rock star on the field. But his smile and bubbly personality could make anyone’s day. He was a humble young man. This young man had multiple obstacles but never threw in the towel. He used the challenge to help motivate other kids in our community and across the world. In my book, he is a leader. There is no one like him.”
Elyja Gibbs showed much confidence whenever interviewed by the Tribune. Jim Sosebee was still the HHS varsity head coach in 2021 when Gibbs was in the team’s top three in tackles as a sophomore linebacker and safety. Sosebee, now Crest’s head coach, described Gibbs as upbeat in his outlook, jolly, and often smiling.
Elyja’s elder sister, Breona Bryant, directed a comment to her brother on Facebook about how “you were always so goofy.” She told WLOS-TV that Elyja was good-hearted, charismatic, and creative.
Swift, Instinctive Athlete
Yet Gibbs got serious when it counted, Coach Ward noted. Ward values players’ intense effort. “Elyja was the ultimate competitor. He had his father’s competitive fire. He was tough. He was all business when it came to competition.”
Despite his severely limited hearing, Elyja Gibbs excelled in two sports. He lip-read very well. Gibbs told WLOS-TV in 2021 with a chuckle that his limited hearing is “most definitely an obstacle. But sometimes it does help me to zone out all the other players talking ‘smack’ to me.”
Gibbs compensated with superb on-field vision and as an “instinctual” player, Coach Ward said. “His hearing impediment didn’t affect him on the field. He didn’t want us to use that as an excuse or to be looked at differently.”
In baseball, he was a strong-armed catcher who often threw out runners. He was a good hitter and a fast baserunner. As the starting varsity football quarterback, he accelerated quickly when keeping the ball and was an elusive open-field runner. He could throw deep.
Gibbs’ 2022 football season ended prematurely due to a broken ankle in the fourth game. He dealt with some challenges in school. Principal Wilkins said that Gibbs last attended class in November of 2022. “He was doing really well” recently, his mother stated on Facebook. “We were homeschooling, and he was back on track… He was so excited about the possibility of re-enrolling and getting back in the sports. That gave him a whole new focus.”
HHS students can turn to counselors to help them through this emotionally trying time, Henderson County Public Schools noted in a statement. “Our hearts are heavy as the district mourns the loss of Elyja Gibbs… We are deeply saddened by this loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with Elyja’s family at this difficult time…School social workers, school counselors, and other staff are available… to talk with students, staff, and families and to provide support during this difficult time.”