— Friends and classmates of two Ardmore High School students killed in a traffic accident Tuesday night were trying today to make sense of the loss today.

Counselors from Ardmore High, other county schools and youth ministers were on hand at the high school to try to comfort them.

John Michael McCowan, 17, of Gatlin Road and Jordan Christopher Blake Young of Toney, who just turned 17 Tuesday, were killed in an accident with a log truck about 5 p.m. on Mooresville Road, officials said.

Funeral arrangements for the two boys will be announced by Ardmore Funeral Home.

“This will be a tough time for our school, but we have the most caring faculty and community anywhere and we will get through this difficult time,” Principal Tommy Hunter said on the school’s Web site.“Keep all of our students, and especially the parents of Jordan and John, in your prayers.”

Accident details

The accident occurred north of Southern Gayles Golf Course near the intersection of Mooresville and Bain roads, six miles south of Ardmore.

The driver of a log truck, Clifton Stubblefield, 61, of Petersburg, Tenn., was southbound on Mooresville when his 2002 Peterbilt tractor-trailer truck collided with the passenger side of Young’s 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier, which was approaching the intersection from Bain Road and failed to stop at the stop sign, State Trooper Curtis Summerville said.

The truck overturned, spilling logs on the roadway, witnesses said.

The two teenagers, who were wearing seatbelts, were declared dead at the scene, Summerville said.

The log truck driver was not injured, he said.

Troopers continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash, Summerville said.

Athens-Limestone Rescue Squad and several volunteer fire departments responded.

It is the second time in 11 days a fatal wreck involving teenagers has occurred on Mooresville Road. A 19-year-old Ardmore mother, Kayla Hines, was killed when she was thrown from a Jeep in an Aug. 14 accident on Mooresville Road near Ardmore that left three others injured.

From Staff Reports

Two teens are dead following a crash Tuesday afternoon between the car in which they were riding and a log truck. The accident occurred on Mooresville Road at Bain Road at about 5 p.m.

Limestone County Coroner Mike West identified the youths as Jordan Young, 17, of Alabama 251 in Toney, who was driving the car, and his passenger as John Michael McCowan, 17, of Gatlin Road in Ardmore.

West said the victim s were transported to Ardmore Funeral Home.

Reports say the wreck occurred just north of Southern Gayles Golf Course. Witnesses reported that the log truck was on its side and logs strewn on the road.

The truck driver was not believed to be badly injured.

Several volunteer fire departments and the Athens-Limestone Rescue Squad responded to the wreck, according to reports.