Two miles away Fraughton's life was being reverently recalled through stories, scripture and song by those who loved the 17-year-old.
Sitting on the back row of the capacity-filled service were three young men who had driven from Orem to pay respects for the fallen football player they had come to admire. Clinched with 33 long stemmed roses for the Fraughtons, the boys explained why they made the hour-long drive.
"We play Viewmont on Friday night and we felt we needed to be here now to show our support and respect for their team and for Seth," said Tucker Lamb. "We just feel bad. Seth was a tough player and he never talked trash. But mainly we just felt we needed to be here for him and his team and family."
The three Orem High football captains, Alek Cusick, Luke Vanisi and Lamb lost a teammate three years ago to a drowning at Lake Powell .
"We know how tough this is," Cusick said. "We feel so bad for these guys and Seth's family."
Members of the Utah football community sat scattered throughout the audience as the Fraughtons and Seth's friends painted a life picture of the struggles and joys that molded Seth Cody Fraughton into the larger than life young man who walked the halls of Viewmont High School .
A newborn with colic who would scream for hours and later became susceptible to night terrors, Seth's mother Charli spoke of the child most never knew.
"If Seth started crying in the morning when he was little, the day was shot," Charli said. "Seth had a difficult time controlling his emotions and it was very difficult."
Charli explained how she and the family worked and prayed to find solutions to help Seth reach inside himself and pull out the young man they knew was trapped inside the emotionally charged body.
"We made video clips of Seth being happy and when he would start becoming upset, we would show him the video," Charli said. "We raised the bar of expectation for Seth and he slowly improved.
"Kids will rise to your expectations," she said.
Charli implored everyone to reach inside themselves and discover the unique skills and gifts they possess.
"We are all born with heavenly attributes," Charli said. "None of us can say we can't achieve great things because we all have been born with great potential."
Seth's brother-in-law, Tanner Sessions, echoed Charli's sentiment. "We need to carry on and find the purpose in our lives and trust in the Lord."
Sennett Fraughton, a sophomore at Viewmont, spoke of his older brother as "the greatest example I could ever have had."
Sennett and Seth had spent a week during the July heat wave baling hay in Duchesne County. Each morning, Sennett recalled, he would awake to find Seth sitting beneath a tree studying his scriptures. He also told a story that portrayed Seth's determination and character.
"Seth was shoeing a horse a few weeks ago and it jumped and Seth hit one of the nails through his own thumb and needed stitches," Sennett said. "Later that night I went outside to finish the job on that horse and Seth came out right behind me and starting working. Even in all that pain, Seth wanted to finish the job of nailing the shoes on the horse because it had been his responsibility."
Sennett joined members of the Viewmont High football team as they boomed a rendition of "Warriors of Light," a song written by Centerville resident and Fraughton family friend, Kevin Peay.
"When the boys were practicing the song on Friday, I would tell them it sounded good," Peay said. "But they would say, 'No, we need to do it again.' To listen to them pray and ask Heavenly Father to help them during rehearsal and to see their determination, intent, and deep conviction to get it perfect for Seth was a moving tribute."
Finally as he spoke, Seth's father told of his anguished reaction to hearing about his boy's death. But he then added, "When we arrived at Bear Lake we were all thinking of the what-if's, the might have been's," Cody said. "I entered into a covenant with those loved ones who were there and now with you all that we will not live in the world of regret, but that we will move forward and look forward, not back."
On Friday night at the field that remained empty and quiet Saturday, the stands will slowly fill. A football will be placed on a tee and the game between Viewmont and Orem will be kicked off and these boys who sat somber and connected by tragedy will play the game Seth loved. And life will, as Cody encouraged, move forward.
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