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Winnipeg high school football player dies after serious in-game injury

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Winnipeg high school football player dies after serious in-game injury
A high school football player has died in hospital after a serious injury he sustained in a game earlier this month, the Winnipeg School Division says. – Oct 30, 2025

A high school football player has died in hospital after a serious injury he sustained in a game earlier this month, the Winnipeg School Division says.

The division confirmed that Darius Hartshorne, a Grade 12 student at Sisler High School and a lineman for the school’s Spartans football team, died Wednesday night.

The teen suffered a serious spinal injury during the opening kickoff of the Spartans’ Oct. 17 game.

According to an online fundraising web page, Hartshorne underwent emergency surgery after the incident and spent some time in intensive care.

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Officials, who are calling it a tragic incident, say there will be support services available to Hartshorne’s teammates, fellow students and the school’s staff.

Accidents of this severity in school athletics are rare, but two similar incidents took place in the U.S. last year, including a 13-year-old West Virginia football player who died after a head injury during a practice, and a high school player in Alabama who died after he suffered a brain injury in a game.

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Football Manitoba, Winnipeg Blue Bombers team up to keep athletes safe

With files from The Canadian Press

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