Kameron Huddleston sat in the limited shade provided by a golf cart on the first day of Merced College's summer conditioning class.
The smile on his face and the supportive chatter he was bellowing at teammates hardly conveyed the disappointment he felt.
After a summer of intensely dedicated work -- both in the weight room and on the field -- Huddleston's sophomore campaign was over before it started thanks to a torn-up right knee.
Merced Sun-Star - Kameron Huddleston, shown here during his playing days with the Merced High football team, is on life support at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno. Huddleston went in for knee surgery on Friday, but complications during the recovery process have left him in a coma.
Despite the devastating setback, it was important to the defensive end to be out on the field, sweltering in the summer heat along with his friends and teammates.
It's the kind of person Huddleston is.
"I'm definitely disappointed," Huddleston said at the time. "We put in a lot of work. But these guys are going to be OK.
"They're going to be a good team."
Now his teammates just hope Huddleston will be OK.
The former Merced High star underwent surgery to repair his knee on Aug. 7 at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno. After a series of complications, he fell into a coma. On Tuesday, doctors informed the Huddleston family that Kameron "had no brain activity," his father Randy said.
With heavy hearts, his teammates continued with their summer conditioning program on Tuesday afternoon.
"Kameron is one of the main reasons I came to Merced," Merced College head coach Mark Kaanapu said. "He is what you want in a college football player.
"He gives good work on the field, he's got great character and he works well with others.
"He helped me a great deal with my transition into the program.
"Right now, we're just praying for the best."
While Huddleston would have certainly been an asset on the field, his teammates said his leadership would be missed the most.
With the program in upheaval following the retirement of head coach Tony Lewis last winter, Huddleston and a core group of sophomores took the team's reins.
Huddleston and company kept the team focused on its offseason training regiment, helping navigate uncertain waters as the program waited for Kaanapu to be hired as the team's new head coach.
According to teammates, Huddleston was among the hardest workers and one of the players that seemed most poised for a breakout season.
"The thing about Kameron is he looks at things in a different way," defensive back Jamicheal Turner said. "You could be running stairs in 100-degree heat and Kameron would find a way to make it fun.
"He always made things fun.
"It's tough. It's like we have to do it for Kameron now."
Sean Lynch is a Sun-Star sports writer. He can be reached at 385-2476 or via e-mail at slynch@mercedsun-star.com.
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