A Lamar High School football player died following football practice Saturday morning.
Rising ninth grader Tyquan Xavier Brantley, 14, was walking off the field with the team when he started complaining of cramps, Audrey Childers, Darlington County School System's public information officer, said.
Team officials immediately called 9-1-1 and he was taken to an area regional medical center, Childers said.
"Tyquan was an excellent young man who worked hard for the game of football. I was very excited about Tyquan's future as a Silver Fox. He will be missed by his family and the Silver Fox family," JR Boyd, head football coach, said through Childers.
“We are heartbroken at this terrible tragedy,” Dr. Rainey Knight, superintendent of the school district, said through a release sent out by the school system Sunday afternoon.
“Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to TeQuan’s family, classmates, and coaches," Knight said in the release.
Saturday was the second day of practice for the team and they were working on their kicking game from 9:30-10:40 a.m., Childers said.
Students had on helmets but no pads and were working out for 20 minutes at a time before taking a five minute water break, Childers said.
Brantley had been participating in the school's summer conditioning program three days a week, Childers said.
There has been no official ruling on the cause of death.
"Our office has ordered an autopsy and this procedure has been completed. However, there are still test results outstanding and those results will not be available until Monday or Tuesday," Darlington County Coroner J. Todd Hardee said through a release sent out Sunday afternoon.
Childers said the school system is investigating the incident to make sure the school system's hydration policy for sports and band practices was followed.
Until the investigation is completed, Childers said the system is emphasizing to team officials to importance of safety and hydration during practices.
Bradley was to play at the middle linebacker/offensive line positions.
Childers said Bacote-Eaddy Funeral Home in Timmonsville will handle the services but the details have not been set yet.
No practices were scheduled for Sunday, but when the team returns to practice Monday the school system will have grief counselors available for the students, she said.
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