By Janice Morse, The Cincinnati Enquirer
and Sue Kiesewetter, Enquirer contributor

MIDDLETOWN - Two Bishop Fenwick High School seniors, just days from graduating, were killed and two of their classmates injured early Tuesday when their open-top Jeep went off a rural Tennessee road and flipped, authorities said.

Killed were Kyle Babcock of West Chester and Barry Kilker of Lebanon. They were back-seat passengers and were wearing seat belts.

The 1979 Jeep CJS was driven by Rob Kreke of Hamilton. He and his front-seat passenger, Pete Rouster of Middletown, were also wearing seat belts. They were treated at St. Mary's Hospital in La Follette, Tenn., and released.

The students, all 18-year-old seniors, had finished classes Friday and were staying at a cabin in the Norris Lake area just north of Knoxville, Tenn., for a few days before Friday's graduation.

Just after midnight Tuesday, the students were driving south on Alder Springs Road near the Deerfield Resort area when the Jeep's right front tire slipped off the road, causing it to flip several times, said Beth Denton, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

Factors that may have contributed to the crash remained under investigation.

At least 14 Greater Cincinnati teens have died in traffic crashes since February, seven of them from Butler County.

It was unclear Tuesday whether the crash would change graduation plans, but Middletown Police Chief Bill Becker said the fatalities will be felt by many in the community.

"It's almost impossible to describe the impact, especially with something like this happening just before graduation," he said. "Fenwick is a very close school, with only about 400 students ... and because Fenwick draws from such a wide area, it's going to hit a lot of lives very hard."

Fenwick Principal Father Charles Mentrup described the students as great kids.

Kreke's father, Pat, is Fenwick's athletic director. Rob Kreke and Rouster played basketball for the school. Babcock played soccer.

"We mourn for their families and friends," Mentrup said. "The whole school is devastated by this."

Officials dismissed school early Tuesday. Classes will resume today with counselors available to talk with students and staff.

Becker said he feels a special connection to Fenwick, where his three children graduated and where he still serves as the announcer for basketball games. So, he said, he felt it necessary to notify the families of the teens' deaths.

"Everyone knows me at Fenwick," he said, "so I felt it would be appropriate for me to notify the families."

Accompanied by Lebanon and West Chester police, Becker knocked on the doors of the deceased students and delivered the news.

"I'm numb," he said Tuesday afternoon. "It's been a long day."

He said police aren't sure what more to do to prevent fatal teen car crashes.

"You just keep trying,'' he said, "and you hope it's the last one."

E-mail jmorse@enquirer.com