An Alabama community is mourning the loss of a 14-year-old high school football player who collapsed during practice on Aug. 13, officials said.
Semaj Wilkins, a freshman at New Brockton High School, suffered a "medical emergency" during warmups for practice and collapsed around 4:30 p.m., Coffee County Coroner Arnold Woodham told TODAY.com.
Wilkins was given CPR on the field, and emergency responders arrived within minutes, Woodham said. Wilkins was taken to nearby Medical Center Enterprise, where he was pronounced dead.
"It's dealt a real blow to this small community," Woodham said. "I've been here all my life and this is the first time I've seen or heard of anything like this occurring here."
“Semaj was a young man who brought joy and inspiration to his peers, teammates, coaches, and faculty members,” Coffee County Schools Superintendent Kelly Cobb said in a statement shared Aug. 15 on Facebook. “His loss will be deeply felt by everyone who knew him.”
The cause of Wilkins’ death is unclear. His body has been sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy, and it will be several weeks before authorities receive any results, Woodham said.
At the Dothan Regional Airport, located about 35 miles from New Brockton High School, the temperature reached 96 degrees with a heat index of 100 on Aug. 13, according to data from the National Weather Service.
The Coffee County Sheriff’s Department and the District Attorney’s Office are conducting an investigation after Wilkins' death, Cobb said in a statement shared to Facebook Aug. 14.
A vigil is being held at the school's football stadium on the night of Aug. 16 in remembrance of Wilkins, Cobb said in Thursday's statement.
