Search Continues For Teen Paddleboarder In Quemahoning Reservoir
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HOLLSOPPLE, Pa. (KDKA) -- There's still no sign of a recent Ligonier Valley High School graduate who disappeared Monday while paddleboarding at the Quemahoning Reservoir in Somerset County.
Searchers with the Greensburg dive team say 18-year-old Joey Dubics was with some friends when he dropped his hat and sunglasses into the water.
His friends say Dubics dove into the water, came up for air once, then never resurfaced.
In addition to divers, crews have been using sonar to search the water, which is up to 100 feet deep.
The reservoir is some five miles long and two miles across at its widest point.
The 18-year-old former football stand-out is being remembered as an amazing force of personality, athletic ability and friendship.
"Always put 100 percent into everything he did," said Jackson Daugherty, one of Dubics' senior year co-captains on Ligonier Valley High's football team. "He was probably one of the best linebackers I've seen. He just had a heart for football. He loved it."
According to friends, to know Dubics, you had to know and understand the young man beyond the grid iron. According to those who spent the most time with him, he was every bit the measure of a good and honest friend.
"When my sister passed away, I knew I could talk to him. I knew he was always going to be there no matter what," Daugherty said.
Daugherty says Dubics could act up now and again to get a laugh.
"Oh, he could be whack. We had some fun times together," Daugherty said.
Daugherty says he's mourning his friend, but he will never forget the most important thing the undersized backer with a big heart taught him.
"Never take a moment for granted, to be honest. He taught me to be a leader. He taught me to be a friend. He taught me to always say 'I love you' to a friend or family member before leaving them," Daugherty said.
