High school senior drowns after jumping from roof of a dock

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOCO) – A rising high school senior in Oklahoma City drowned at Grand Lake while swimming with some friends Friday.

Police said Zach Tawwater, 18, jumped from the roof of a dock into the lake but did not resurface.

“It’s just devastating. It’s hard to understand,” Derek Washington, the president of Next Level Basketball said.

Washington, who coached Tawwater, said he was a strong presence on the court.

“He’s the muscle on the court. [He’s] not afraid to get in and do the dirty work,” Washington said. “We also knew him as someone that was very, very funny - goofy and a big teddy bear.”

Not only was he an athlete on a basketball court, but even more so on the football field.

According to Tawwater’s X account, he was going into his final year at Bishop McGuinness High School and helped his football team finish with eight wins last year and a state semi-finals appearance.

On June 30, he received an offer letter to play Division I football at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

“Everybody loved playing with him. Always a good guy to have around,” Washington said.

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