California high school soccer player collapses and dies during the game

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Emmanuel Antwi, a senior at John F. Kennedy High School, collapsed on the sidelines of the game Friday night and was rushed to a hospital, where he died, reported KCRA, an affiliate of CNN.

The game was canceled after the fall of Antwi and the limited number of fans in the stadium were asked to leave.

“We don’t have many details to share further,” the Sacramento City Unified School District said in a press release. “Our hearts go out to Emmanuel’s family and our school community during this troubled time. We ask everyone to give them privacy and time for healing and comfort as they grieve.”

The school played its first game of the football season, which was postponed from last year due to the pandemic. The Sac-Joaquin Section of the California Interscholastic Federation, of which Kennedy High School is a part, tweeted a message of sympathy for the school.

“We are heartbroken to hear of the passing of Kennedy High School footballer Emmanuel Antwi. We are sending thoughts and prayers to his family, friends, teammates and everyone at @SCUSDKennedy,” the district wrote in its post.

First game of the season

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Antwi’s mother cover funeral expenses and take care of her two other children. Organizers said Antwi was 18 years old.

“After months of waiting because of Covid, the first football game of the season was finally here! He just told his football coach that he had finally got his driver’s license. He was so excited,” the organizers wrote.

“Emmanuel ‘Manny’ was loved by so many and he was a wonderful young man and he was certainly too young to die,” they added.

As of Sunday afternoon, the fundraiser had raised more than $ 27,000, surpassing the $ 20,000 goal. The organizers were grateful and said they had received an “overwhelming” amount of love and support.

“No amount of money can bring Manny back, but it can take some stress off his mother’s shoulders,” they wrote.

Support for students

A district spokesperson told KCRA that after Antwi’s death, a designated trauma response team will be available to the school community.

The team “will be contacting them in the coming days to help them mentally handle and process this incident,” the spokesperson said.

The school also sent a letter to families of students stating that school counselors and mental health support staff will hold virtual grieving sessions on Zoom.

Once soccer practice resumes, counselors will also be available in person, according to the school district.

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