One week ahead of school start, a Georgia student was declared dead after a drowning incident while on a trip with his teammates.
Antwon Carter, 17, was a senior and a football linebacker at Heard County High School, officials said.
He was enjoying his time with three of his teammates, jumping off rocks into the water at a Fort Payne, Alabama park when he got swept away by a strong current.
The teammates tried unsuccessfully to reach Carter but the 6-foot teen couldn't be saved.
“It's not only a tragic event of him passing, but of them experiencing that entire thing, as well,” said Heard County head football coach Shane Lasseter.
The coach added that Carter was the “most well-liked kid in the whole entire school” and that his passing affected “a lot of kids.”
“To know Antwon was to love him. He had the most contagious smile in the world,” the school's football team said on Twitter.
“He was a friend to so many and a brother to everyone who shared a locker room with him.”
