DUNCAN, S.C. — Norman Griffith wished with all his heart this would be like the dozens of times before he sat with family in the stands, awaiting Norman Jr. and his Pahokee High teammates to joyously take the field.

A sign by Pahokee's sideline, "This One Is For Pooh #7" and the father's flowing tears reminded him football games would never be the same for the Griffith family.

"I would put myself in the way of the shot if I was there that night," Griffith Sr. said Friday. "I would tear the shot from my son to keep him alive. I'd rather be six foot deep, I'd rather be buried tomorrow if my son could be here.

"That's how much I love my son," Griffith said.

Norman Griffith Jr., a tight end and linebacker, was discovered in Belle Glade, Fla., with a gunshot wound to the head. He was sitting in a Dodge Durango that seemed to have been in a car accident, Palm Beach County sheriff's deputies said.

Griffith's parents held off on the funeral until Oct. 11, more than a week after Pahokee's nationally televised game with Byrnes High.

Despite the road trip, remembrances of "Pooh" Griffith were everywhere at Nixon Field. A large blue No. 7 in honor of Pahokee's captain was painted in a white circle. A funeral wreath stood nearby in front of a banner with Griffith's name and the Blue Devil logo.

Pahokee coaches wore Griffith's No. 7 on their sleeves.

"I was just walking around the field looking at everything they did for him," mother Jackie said.

Ronnie Black, Byrnes announcer off and on the past 30 years, told the Griffiths a "love offering" from the Byrnes High Touchdown Club would be taken up at halftime on Norman Jr.'s behalf.

"Our hearts go out to the parents and the community," Black said. "We're so close to our kids. I can't imagine having to go through it."

The Griffiths were surrounded with Pahokee supporters, all who wore a tribute ribbon or t-shirt with a picture of the indominatible "Pooh."

"I'm not going to say he was the perfect son, but he was the perfect son for me," Jackie Griffith said with pride.

Norman Jr., 18, was a college prospect who drew interest from several Division I programs like Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Clemson, his parents said.

The Griffith family never considered asking Pahokee to postpone because they knew how much it meant to the Blue Devils. "Norman was always talking about it. He couldn't wait to come," Norman Sr. said.

Norman Jr. loved his teammates and his school. He took to football as a child, mom and dad involved in the typical parental gameday duties of concessions and ticket-taking.

The worries after Griffith's fatal shooting were that it was gang-related, born from the high school rivalry of Glades Central and Pahokee in the western part of Palm Beach County.

However, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said robbery was a motive and have arrested 16-year-old Willie Felton and 17-year-old Carl Lee Booth Jr. Police say Felton fired the fatal shot. Both were charged with first-degree murder.

It's been a hectic time for the Griffiths. They've received condolences from Pahokee and Belle Glade players, coaches and families. Griffith's three younger sisters, 14-year-old Jaylisha, 12-year-old Joan and 4-year-old Normaneshia had wanted to join there parents in South Carolina, but Jackie says they needed time away from the tragedy.

That's something Griffith's grieving parents won't ever have.

"My son, I know he tried to do the best he could, in football, in life," the father said, Norman Jr.'s letterman jacket at his. "I don't know what the world is coming to."