PINETOPS, NC (WTVD) -- Classmates of 17-year-old Quontellas Norwood honored the Southwest Edgecombe senior at Thursday night's football game.
The teen is recovering in Greenville after he was shot last weekend.
Rocky Mount police said Norwood was driving down Leggett Rd. in Rocky Mount around 1:45 a.m. Sunday when someone in a passing car fired several shots into his vehicle, causing him to run off the road.
Before he was hurt, Norwood was the Southwest Edgecombe Cougars starting tight end.
With his son recovering in the hospital, the team asked Quon's father to stand on the sidelines in Quon's place Thursday night.
"My son is supposed to be here. He should be here," said Jonathan Norwood. "I'm here standing in for my son."
Classmates honored the teen with specially designed T-shirts with "QuonStrong" on the back and the word was painted on the field.
"I'm overwhelmed because I know they got so much love for my son and as a dad, it's just, for them to show us so much love," said Jonathan Norwood.
But who shot Quon, and why, remains a mystery. Rocky Mount police have made no arrests.
As honored as Quon's dad was to stand on the sidelines for his son. He left immediately after the game to rush back to Greenville to be at his son's hospital bedside.
The family is still hoping for a full recovery.