A junior and running back at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, with deep ties to the community died after a medical emergency on the sideline of a game Saturday afternoon.
In a Facebook post, the college identified the young man as MicahJo Barnett.
The roster lists Barnett as a 5 foot, 8-inch junior running back from Liberty North High School.
“Led Liberty North to a state championship as a senior...Earned All-Conference and All-State honors,” according to his bio on the William Jewell website.
A vigil is planned on the Jewell campus quad for Saturday night at 8 p.m.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with MicahJo’s family, teammates, friends, coaches, and faculty and staff,” the college posted on its Facebook page.
The game kicked off at noon in Liberty. At about 1:30, Fort Lewis said on Facebook that the game was on hold.
“Today's football game at William Jewell is currently suspended following a medical emergency on the William Jewell sideline,” the school wrote.
At 1:00 pm, it was 97 degrees in Liberty as a “late summer heat wave” moved in the metro, according to the National Weather Service.
It is unknown whether the heat played a role in Barnett’s death, but Kansas and Missouri have seen several football players, mostly lineman, die in the last several years from complications of excessive heat.
On Wednesday, a high school junior from tiny Rozel, Kansas was buried after he collapsed on the first day of practice.
Rylan Reece, 16, was remembered as an old soul during the service at Valley Community Church in Burdett. “He liked old cars and liked old songs.” said Pastor Ryan Webster.
Rylan was the fifth player to die around football practice in Kansas since 2018.
