DECATUR - They competed against each other on the basketball court and golf course; two highly driven, topnotch athletes who became the closest of friends.

Because of their outgoing, cheerful personalities, Matthew Yelovich and Anthony Samuelson, both 24, were at the center of a large group of friends who seemed to bask in the glow of their generous, fun-loving spirits.

Those friends have been gathering this week to comfort each other and the young men's families after their lives were taken when the car they were riding in crashed into a house on Decatur's north side.

"It seemed like there was a light in every room they walked through," said Kyle Stone, 27, shortly before attending Yelovich's visitation. "That light got burned out Sunday morning. We need to get that light going again by celebrating their lives."

Nick Grace, 24, a friend since childhood of both men, was with them Saturday, shortly before their fatal accident.

"I was with them all day on Saturday," Grace said. "I went to the Illinois football game on Saturday with Tony and Matt. Saturday night unfortunately we were downtown together at some of the places in Decatur."

At some point, the two men got into the back seat of a 2000 Chevy Malibu driven by Eileen McMahon, 22. Another woman, Lori Fenner Vegovisch, 22, was also in the car. The car was northbound on North Water Street, possibly traveling about 60 mph, when the driver lost control. It slammed into a house at Kellar Lane and North Water Street.

Yelovich and Samuelson were pronounced dead at the scene.

The condition of Vegovisch was unavailable Tuesday; she was hospitalized in Decatur Memorial Hospital on Monday, with broken ribs and facial lacerations.

McMahon, whose blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit, was being held Tuesday on preliminary charges of aggravated DUI. She was in the Macon County Jail, in lieu of $1 million bond. At the time of the accident McMahon was out on bond from a previous DUI charge, stemming from an Oct. 26 incident.

Jay Scott, Macon County assistant state's attorney, said the state's attorney will decide which charges will be filed later this week.

"Any pending offenses can be taken into account in a case, in how we view the case as a whole," Scott said, referring to the prior DUI.

The penalty for aggravated DUI with the death of two or more people is 6 to 28 years in prison.

Awakened by deadly crash

Diane Garner was sleeping in her home early Sunday, when she was awakened by the thud of something smashing into the brick foundation, followed by the hissing of gas escaping from a line.

By the time she got outside, a firefighter was there, comforting the driver, who was sitting on the grass, near the curb. When Garner told the firefighter about the gas leak, he asked her to stay with the young woman, while he checked on it.

"She just kept hollering, 'I didn't want to hurt anybody,'" Garner recalled.

The homeowner said she was impressed with the respect the firefighters showed toward the victims, especially the way they covered their bodies and huddled around them.

"It seemed like maybe they were saying a prayer," she said. "I found it amazing, if that's what they were doing."

Garner was visited by several young women the following afternoon.

"They were friends of the boys," Garner said. "They came to the door and wanted to talk to me. Just two came in to talk. A lot more were outside. The asked me if I got out there before they died. They were hoping that I had got there before."

Apparently the women wanted to know what their friends had said or done during their last moments on earth. Unfortunately, Garner had nothing to share with them, because of their sudden deaths.

'They were two great guys'

Grace, who said he did not know where his friends were going at the time of the accident, said he considered them his brothers.

"They were tons of fun, guys you could count on," said Grace, who played in the same infield for their softball team, The Wharf. "Everybody who got to know them were better for getting to know them."

It seems that everybody who was friends with Yelovich or Samuelson was friends with both of them. Casey Graham, 24, attended St. Teresa High School with Samuelson, where Samuelson was elected homecoming king. Earlier Graham had attended Holy Family Grade School with Yelovich, who attended Mount Zion High School.

"Two separate groups of friends became one group," Graham recalled. "Those two were in the center of everything. They were great guys."

Graham, who called the accident pointless, said he hopes people learn a lesson from it. He suggested that anyone too inebriated to drive would be better off calling the police to ask for a ride rather than get behind the wheel.

"I got a DUI," Graham said, adding he would never again think about driving drunk. "That saved my life."

Graham said it was out of character for his friends to get into the situation that led to their deaths. At other times, they would call a parent to pick them up.

"They were very responsible," Graham said. "They'd have fun. They wouldn't go drinking and cruising around. They just got in the wrong car.

While Graham is grieving for the loss of his friends, he said his heart goes out to the families of the two young women who survived.

"You want to blame somebody, but who are you going to blame?" he said. "She made a mistake and it cost a lot of people a lot. Losing Matt and Tony really hurts a lot of people. I miss them already."

Geoff Owens, 22, said Samuelson was one of the nicest, most genuine people he knew.

"You couldn't go anywhere without hearing about him, how he made people laugh," Owens said. "Whatever those guys were doing you wanted to do. You wanted to be around them, you wanted to be with them."

Both men had reputations for reaching out to their friends when they were down.

"Matt was an easy-going guy," said Zack Day, 21. "He wouldn't want anyone to be upset. If anyone was down he would be the one to cheer them up and get them going. He was great athlete, a great person. He won state as a freshman in high school in golf. He was a role model. They are two great guys. They will be sorely missed by everybody."

The impact of the young men's deaths was noted in a speech delivered at the Decatur City Council meeting Monday.

"We need to do something positive to honor the memory of those lost," said council member Dan Caulkins. "Tonight I want to speak to everyone in Decatur and the surrounding area. Drinking and driving is a deadly gamble. The lives you could affect go way beyond your own."

hfreeman@herald-review.com|421-6985