Kennedy cancels Friday football game to ‘let our guys heal’ after player’s death

Citing a need for Kennedy High School football players to “heal and cope,” Friday’s spring football game against Pleasant Grove has been canceled, coach Brian Lewis told The Bee.

The Kennedy program and the football region in general has been rocked by the death of Cougars senior Emmanuel “Manny” Antwi, who collapsed after leaving Friday’s season opener against Johnson in the fourth quarter. The 18-year-old lineman later died at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. It is not yet clear what happened.

“We’re all hurting, and we need time,” said Lewis, in his fourth year with the program. He is an alum of the school. “We will resume our season, and we’ll play it in honor of Manny.”

Kennedy will play April 9 at Woodcreek in Roseville and April 16 at Highlands. Pleasant Grove will play Davis on Friday at Elk Grove High.

This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 10:09 AM.

Joe Davidson

The Sacramento Bee

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Joe Davidson has covered sports for The Sacramento Bee since 1989: preps, colleges, Kings and features. He was in early 2024 named the National Sports Media Association Sports Writer of the Year for California and he was in the fall of 2024 inducted into the California High School Football Hall of Fame. He is a 14-time award winner from the California Prep Sports Writer Association. In 2021, he was honored with the CIF Distinguished Service award. He is a member of the California Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Davidson participated in football and track in Oregon.