Dutch Fork football player dies after collapsing at practice
A senior member of the Dutch Fork High School football team died Tuesday after collapsing at practice.
Jack I. Alkhatib, 17, of Irmo died Tuesday evening at Prisma Health-Parkridge hospital, Richland County coroner Nadia Rutherford confirmed Wednesday morning in a statement.
“Our thoughts are with his family, the Dutch Fork High School Family and the Lexington-Richland 5 family,” Rutherford said.
Alkhatib was a two-year starting offensive lineman for the Dutch Fork football team and one of the most popular members on the team. He recently received an offer to play college football for Presbyterian, had a 3.8 GPA and was a member of National Honor Society.
Alkhatib was named one of the Midlands’ Top 10 linemen to watch this season by The State newspaper.
“Jack is the light of my life,” Kelly Hewins Alkhatib, Jack’s mother, wrote on Twitter early Wednesday morning. “And his light will forever live on in me. I am so proud of the young man he was becoming, on and off the field. The outpouring of love is overwhelming. As his mom I’m just completely devastated and numb.”
His mother added another tribute later Wednesday morning with a picture of her son when he was young and one playing last season for the Silver Foxes.
“My heart is devastated. I am numb yet ache everywhere. I love the boys of DF Football. Let Jack’s light shine through you all. He’s our angel now. My love to all you boys, now and forever,” Hewins Alkhatib wrote.
The Lexington-Richland 5 school district announced his death late Tuesday night. The district said additional counselors and support would be available to students over the next few days.
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department told The State on Wednesday morning that they are not currently investigating the death.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is investigating Alkhatib’s death, spokesman Tommy Crosby told The State Wednesday. Crosby said SLED will investigate all child fatalities, in accordance with South Carolina law.
“Upon receipt of a report of a child death, SLED is directed to investigate and gather all information on the child fatality,” Crosby said.
South Carolina law states the coroner or medical examiner, must notify the Department of Child Fatalities when a child dies as a result of violence; in any suspicious or unusual manner; or when the death is unexpected and unexplained including, but not limited to, possible sudden infant death syndrome.
According to the Dutch Fork football team’s Instagram page, the team moved practice back from the afternoon to 7 p.m. Wednesday “due to afternoon heat.” The team usually practices at 4 p.m. on most days.
The team will not be practicing Wednesday out of respect for Alkhatib and has set up a makeshift memorial on the field with his No. 60 jersey, a Dutch Fork hat and flowers.
The Silver Foxes are the five-time defending Class 5A champions and have a 51-game unbeaten streak. Dutch Fork was scheduled to play at Gaffney on Friday but the game is canceled out of “abundance of respect to the Dutch Fork HS community”, Gafffney’s Twitter page wrote Wednesday afternoon.
The game between two of Class 5A’s top teams was added last week after Dutch Fork’s game against Irmo was canceled because of COVID.
“It is with heavy heart that we inform you of the death of a Dutch Fork football student who passed away Tuesday after collapsing at football practice,” Lexington-Richland 5 said in the statement. “The death of any youth in our community is a tragedy for all. At this difficult time, we turn our attention to supporting the family.
“... This is a sad day for us and our entire community is grieving the loss.”
University of South Carolina football coaches joined with players, coaches and programs from around the state in sharing their condolences over the loss of Alkhatib.
“Heartbreaking news out of Dutch Fork HS yesterday,” University of South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer posted to Twitter on Wednesday morning. “I am so sorry. My thoughts and prayers are with you.”
— The State’s Noah Feit contributed to this story.
This story was originally published August 24, 2021 at 11:13 PM.
