Alabama high school football player dies following 'medical emergency'

Semaj Wilkins was a 14-year-old freshman at New Brockton High School; coroner stated he collapsed during football practice

Tragedy struck the New Brockton (Alabama) high school community this week. According to numerous reports, Semaj Wilkins, a 14-year old freshman football player, collapsed during practice on Tuesday, and later died.

The incident reportedly occurred as Wilkins and teammates were going through pre-practice warmups, at approximately 4:30 p.m. Wilkins suffered what was termed a "medical emergency" during the warmups and was administered CPR on the field. Minutes later, first responders arrived and continued the treatments before transporting the young athlete to nearby Medical Center Enterprise, where he was pronounced dead.

"It's dealt a real blow to this small community," Coffee County Coroner Arnold Woodham said to Today.com. "I've been here all my life and this is the first time I've seen or heard of anything like this occurring here."

Coffee County Schools Superintendent Kelly Cobb took to Facebook to make a statement about Wilkins.

“Semaj was a young man who brought joy and inspiration to his peers, teammates, coaches, and faculty members,” wrote Cobb. “His loss will be deeply felt by everyone who knew him.”

The cause of death remains unclear at this time and the body will undergo an autopsy at the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences. Results of that procedure may not be known for several weeks.

In addition, the Coffee County Sheriff's Department is conducting an investigation into the death, which occurred on a day when temperatures reached 96 degrees in the area, with a heat index of 100.

New Brockton was scheduled to scimmage Barbour County on Friday evening, but instead the high school community will gather in the team's stadium for a remembrance of Wilkins. The team's status for its regular season-opening contest against Pike Liberal Arts on Aug. 23 is unknown.