WASHINGTON, N.J. -- Warren Hills Regional High School students returned to class this morning after learning their star quarterback Evan Murray died after sustaining an on-field injury. 
 
 In a statement obtained by CBS New York, the Morris County Coroner's Office said an examination revealed a cut on his spleen killed Murray. 
 
 "The autopsy determined that the cause of death was massive intra-abdominal hemorrhage (massive internal bleeding) due to a laceration of the spleen," the statement read, adding that Murray's spleen was "abnormally enlarged thus making it more susceptible to injury. There was no evidence of head trauma or heart disease. The manner of death was accidental." 
 
 Evan Murray died after taking a hit in the backfield during the team's third game of the season against Summit High School at the Blue Streaks' stadium in Washington Township, Warren County. 
 
 "The last play before the half, he got hit and we helped him to the sideline," senior tackle Oscar Vega said. 
 
 Witnesses said Murray felt "woozy" after the tackle but tried reassuring his teammates he would be fine as he was taken away to be assessed at a hospital. He was pronounced dead a short time later. 
 
 Some of Murray's teammates said it wasn't clear whether the last hit he took caused his death. They said he had taken several hard hits during the game against Summit High School and seemed slow to get up at times. 
 
 The team's coach told CBS New York in his 35 years of coaching, he has never seen something like this happen. 
 
 On Saturday, coaches, students and community members gathered at the school's football field for a memorial. It featured a letter from the teen's girlfriend that read in part "Thank you for being the love of my life." 
 
 "Evan was a great leader. He was a class act kid," said Murray's baseball coach Mike Quinto. "The young gentleman that he was. Not just an athlete, but the person that he was, it was more important than the athlete he was. He carried himself well everywhere he went. That's the key thing about him." 
 
 Classmates and friends expressed their sympathy on social media along with many who didn't know Evan. 
 
 Gary R. Bowen, interim superintendent of the Warren Hills Regional School District, said Saturday that grief counselors were available to Murray's teammates and fellow students for as long as necessary. 
 
 "We are deeply saddened and sincerely appreciate the support and caring of our close-knit greater Warren Hills community," Bowen said. 
 
 Classmate and friend Taylor Coughlin, a junior who appears to have set up a GoFundMe page to assist the family, told NJ.com that Murray was an "amazing kid." The page said Murray was hit while in the backfield. 
 
 "He was an amazing student and an amazing athlete. He stood out in his athletics, his academics -- everything," she told the website. 
 
 Murray's wake will be held Wednesday at Safe Discovery Church in Washington Township. His funeral will be held there on Thursday. ||||| Several cards were placed among the flowers at a memorial at Warren Hills’ football stadium – one branded with a large Superman emblem. 
 
 It was clear on Saturday morning that Evan Murray was a superhero, and more, to the Warren County community. 
 
 The high school senior died on Friday night after being injured during a home football game against Summit. 
 
 Faculty, students, friends and family gathered at Warren Hills to mourn and remember the teenager who’d touched so many people. 
 
 “Everyone honored him, and they should because he deserves it,” said Anthony Veneziano, a classmate of Murray, as he left the stadium. “They should continue to honor him forever.” 
 
 The specific circumstances of Murray’s death weren’t revealed by school district administrators on Saturday. The Blue Streaks community, in the meantime, is grieving. 
 
 “It was complete shock,” said Veneziano, who attended Friday night’s game and was on the basketball and baseball teams with Murray. “He’s one of the greatest kids in this whole community. It’s unbelievable. I still don’t believe it.” 
 
 Tragedy at Warren Hills: Full coverage of Evan Murray's death 
 
 Murray was a three-sport performer, gifted with versatile athleticism. It was his character, however, that drew peers toward the senior. 
 
 “There’s a lot of things that I’m going to remember about Evan, mostly his leadership and the young gentleman that he was,” baseball coach Mike Quinto said, “not just an athlete, but the person he was.” 
 
 “He was one of the best leaders,” said Veneziano, who noted that Murray was honest and levelheaded. “He believed in us. He got the job done in all three sports.” 
 
 The teenager was also dedicated, filling his free time with football, basketball or baseball, according Quinto. 
 
 “That’s just the way he was, and he would lead others to do the same, and that’s why we love him,” he said. 
 
 Quinto, who also coaches boys soccer at the school, said the Warren Hills students are devastated. It’s another blow to a community that has been hard-hit by tragedy of late. 
 
 Colin Matthew Cudworth Jr., a 17-year-old Warren Hills student, died in an auto accident in July. Kinsey Fredericks-Bishow, a 2012 Warren Hills graduate, died after contracting bacterial meningitis while studying abroad in Paris over the summer. 
 
 “The (students) that I met with here today are having a tough time,” Quinto said. “The baseball players that I spoke with, I just told them to please stick together; that we’ll get through this. We’ve dealt with some tragedy throughout the last year and we’ll get through this one, too.” 
 
 “They lost a leader and they lost somebody that … a lot of kids look up to, and a lot of staff and teachers look up to,” Quinto said. 
 
 The Blue Streaks have lost their Superman, but more importantly, they’ve lost part of their family. 
 
 “He was a brother to us,” Veneziano said. “We’re all brothers. We’re going to be brothers forever.” 
 
 Kyle Craig may be reached at kcraig@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KyleCraigSports.
– A star high school athlete is dead in New Jersey after being injured in a football game last night, reports Lehigh Valley Live. It's not clear exactly what happened to Evan Murray, the quarterback for Warren Hills Regional High School. Witnesses say the 17-year-old took a hit but walked off the field under his own power, reports the Daily News. He reported feeling groggy, however, and was put on a gurney to head to the hospital. "He tried giving a thumbs-up to the rest of the team, and all of us cheered," says a 16-year-old cheerleader at the school. "Our coach was telling us he was going to be all right." Murray was taken to a local hospital, where he died after being treated. An autopsy was scheduled for today. Meanwhile, the Warren Hills community is devastated, reports NJ.com. Murray had been the starting QB for three years, and he also played baseball and basketball. “It was complete shock,” says a classmate. "He’s one of the greatest kids in this whole community. It’s unbelievable. I still don’t believe it.”