He’s poised at his linebacker position for the Montclair High School football team. Dougherty and his teammates are hanging onto a narrow lead, attempting to make a fourth-quarter, goal-line stand against archrival Bloomfield High School.

It’s fourth down.

Dougherty flies through the line, tackling the Bengal ball carrier to preserve victory for Montclair High School.

"What kind of applause would we give him?" asked the Rev. Gerald Whitaker, setting up the scene for about 1,100 mourners during Dougherty’s funeral service this past Monday.

And like that of a roaring football stadium, cheers and applause filled the sanctuary inside a packed Christ Church, where mourners gathered to remember the 16-year-old Montclair High School football player.

"That’s the kind of memory we want to have," Whitaker proclaimed above the thunderous ovation. "You may think that was kind of weird, clapping in church. But God is not nervous."

Dougherty died last Wednesday, Oct. 15, two days after he suffered a brain hemorrhage during a junior varsity game at Don Bosco Prep.

Remembering the "intelligent" student who possessed a strong work ethic, was committed to football and dedicated to making other people happy, his relatives, teammates, fellow students and school administrators recalled Dougherty’s conscientious nature and kindness.

About 250 people had to be moved to two rooms adjoining the sanctuary to watch the funeral service on a live video.

His teammates wore their Mountie jerseys over their collared shirts. Photographs of Dougherty – fishing and boating with his father, Martin, and learning how to ride a bike – were presented in a video slideshow on two large screens on each side of the high, majestic altar.

Pictures of Ryne and messages were posted on four easels at the front of the church; flowers adorned the altar.

His football helmet guarded Dougherty’s casket, which was draped with a blue and white Montclair High banner.

"Ryne was not looking for a pat on the back," said the school’s head football coach Ed Lebida. "Ryne’s life was like an iceberg – the tip of it which all of us can see, but the larger part of it hid beneath the surface. But we knew it was there."

Aalim Monk, a close friend and teammate, said what he will remember most about Dougherty was his commitment to football, and how all he talked about was football statistics.

"On Saturday, we started walking onto the field. You’re supposed to hold your brother’s hand when you walk on the field, but Ryne wasn’t there," said Monk, referring to the varsity game this past Saturday, when Montclair defeated Ridgewood High School. "That’s when it hit me."

Travis Hubbard, Dougherty’s best friend, described Dougherty as a workaholic who, through adversity, always wore a smile on his face. Holding back tears, Hubbard called him a "mentor" and "a strong person."

"Ryne was my backbone," Hubbard said. "I dedicate the rest of my life, and the rest of my athletic career, to be more like Ryne."

Martin Dougherty recalled when Ryne was in sixth grade, perhaps seventh, and he wanted to teach his son football. "He wanted computers," Martin Dougherty said.

"He didn’t want to know how things were. He just wanted to know how things weren’t," he said.

Dougherty’s mother, Marinalva Schnarr, told the crowd, "Ryne was the best … My heart hurts so much for him."

The family donated his organs to "keep his memory alive," Martin Dougherty later said.

Encouraging other people to donate their organs, the father said, "I want my son to live vicariously through their donations."

Concluding the eulogy, Whitaker encouraged the crowd, particularly the students, to continue their studies, and not go through life’s pains without learning a lesson.

"Like a football team, every position is important," he said. "We are part of a team called humanity. So let’s strive to serve our positions well, and make the world a better place."