High School

Wayne County Community Mourns Sudden Loss of Beloved High School Athlete

Cayleb Rice played for the Cardinals' football and boys basketball teams

Kevin L. Smith

Cayleb Rice, a rising sophomore at Wayne County High School in Kentucky who played football and basketball, died from a car accident on Friday.
Cayleb Rice, a rising sophomore at Wayne County High School in Kentucky who played football and basketball, died from a car accident on Friday. / Wayne County School District

The Wayne County School District in Monticello, Kentucky and its community is mourning the loss of a high school athlete over the weekend.

Cayleb Rice, a rising sophomore for the Cardinals’ football and boys basketball teams, died on Friday from injuries he sustained in a car crash, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.

WKYT in Lexington reported via the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office that Rice, the lone occupant, was driving on Kentucky Highway 1275 when he veered off the road, hit a tree stump and was ejected from the vehicle.

Rice was pronounced dead at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital due to blunt force trauma, according to WKYT.

“We are deeply saddened and heartbroken by the loss of a great young man Cayleb Rice,” stated in a post by the Wayne County Boys Basketball Facebook page.

Posted by Wayne County Schools on Saturday, July 26, 2025

“Cayleb is one of those guys who did everything he did wholeheartedly. It didn’t matter if it was on the field, on the court, in the classroom or just in life. He was a great kid,” Wayne County High School football coach Tyler Guffey told the Herald Leader. “It’s going to be a big loss to the community.”

Rice also played for the Griffin Elite, an AAU program, the previous two seasons. The team was led by Steve Quattrocchi, who is the Paul Laurence Dunbar High School boys basketball coach in Lexington as well.

“Cayleb was a great young man. Extremely mature. Hard working. He loved basketball and his family. He’s a role model for his younger brothers. He will be missed,” Quattrocchi said via the Herald Leader.

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Kevin L. Smith
KEVIN L. SMITH

Kevin L. Smith, a Rochester (NY) native and a graduate of St. Bonaventure University, has been covering high school sports for over a decade. He started out as a freelance sportswriter in 2013. Since then, he’s held sportswriter and editor positions for newspapers in Coudersport (PA), Sayre (PA) and Oswego (NY). Smith currently covers high school sports in the Greater Syracuse Area for syracuse.com | Post-Standard, a position he’s held since 2021. You can follow him on social media @KevLSmittie. Story ideas can be sent to KLSFreelancing@outlook.com.

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