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Teen lost off Ocean City hard worker, relentless player
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OCEAN CITY - A Philadelphia teenager who is believed to have drowned last week off the city's beaches was a scholar with a passion for rugby.
Josias Sterling, 19, was a sophomore at Temple University, where he played the rough-and-tumble sport. He was in Ocean City last week for a rugby tournament.
Sterling went missing July 24 while tossing a rugby ball with a friend in the surf. They played near an unguarded beach at Great Egg Harbor Inlet near the Ocean City-Longport Bridge. Police on Friday said he has not been found.
Friends and coaches said Sterling had a strong work ethic and an engaging personality.
Teammate Jim O'Brien played with Sterling at St. Joseph's Preparatory School and Temple. Rugby was his friend's greatest passion, O'Brien said. They played a pickup game two days before the Ocean City accident.
"You never saw him without a rugby shirt on," O'Brien said. As a player, he was relentless. "He just wouldn't stop. It might be clichéd to say about someone who is a tough player, but he honestly never let up." O'Brien said.
Off the field, Sterling was quick to make friends with strangers. He often helped the younger students fit in at school. "He was very easy to be around. He didn't judge anyone. He was very open to everyone," O'Brien said.
Friends filled a Facebook memoriam with anecdotes about Sterling. Some mentioned how as a senior Sterling went out of his way to welcome them to school.
Nolan Grady, a sophomore at Gonzaga University, dropped Sterling off in Ocean City for a rugby tournament two days before the beach accident. The two were teammates at St. Joseph's. He said he is still in disbelief over the tragedy. "My coach told me they were only in knee-to-waist deep tossing the ball," Grady said.
Sterling's team decided to play one man short in the rugby tournament to honor him, Grady said.
He said Sterling had an infectious personality. "Vibrant would be an understatement. He always had a grin on his face wherever he went. He would be happy whether you liked it or not," he said.
Brian McCloskey, an assistant coach at St. Joseph's, said Sterling babysat for his four children. Rugby opened doors to the teenager and helped him see parts of America and Ireland on team trips. He was a valuable player, McCloskey said. "He set the tone. If it was a close game or we were behind and needed a big play, we would look in his direction," McCloskey said. "He had the overall athletic ability, aggression and quickness."
McCloskey said Sterling's brothers and sisters were scholars as well. "The family values instilled in him by his parents are a credit to him," he said.
And Sterling had a weakness for pie. "That kid could eat McDonald's apple pies like it was his job," McCloskey said.
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Posted in Top_three, Cape_may on Friday, July 31, 2009 9:45 pm Updated: 2:59 am.
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