Pray for drowned player’s mom, ARC football coach urges
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A football coach at the Academy of Richmond County football is sending his condolences to the family of a player who drowned Monday at Clarks Hill Lake.
Coach Keenan Grissett posted on Facebook to thank everyone for their love and to the team but says the real prayers need to go to Se’vonn Small’s mother.
“A mother that will bury her child and see him leave his fleshly form. That mother needs our love and prayers. So, please don’t stop with me and the team,” Grissett wrote.
Authorities responded to the incident around 1:45 p.m. Monday at Pointes West Army Resort, and Small’s body was recovered later.
His teammates at ARC are dedicating the rest of the season to him.
“We are heartbroken about this, but we will continue to work even harder and honor Se’Vonn in everything we do,” the ARC football program said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “This season is dedicated to Se’Vonn, and we are using the hashtag #SeVonnStrong.”
It’s more than a hashtag, the post stated. It’s a reminder that “Se’Vonn is watching over us.”
Fellow players changed their social media profile photos to a white 43 – Se’Vonn’s jersey number – on a purple background.
How it all unfolded
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday released a report detailing what they learned after arriving at the scene on Washington Road in Appling.
Witnesses told officials Se’Vonn and several family were wading out on a sandbar when a woman in the water started yelling for help.
Se’Vonn’s mother, a 43-year-old soldier at Fort Gordon, “said all the children were out in the water playing when the incident happened,” deputies wrote in the report.
Among those in the water were Se’Vonn, Se’Vonn’s 21-year-old sister, and a 24-year-old man from Atlanta.
The sister and Se’Vonn were playing “who could hold their breath the longest,” according to the report. She began to struggle, and the man was able to load her onto a boat. When he turned around, he could no longer see the teen, according to the report.
The man returned to the water to look for Se’Vonn while rescuers were on the way after 911 had been called.
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that Se’Vonn did not have on a life jacket when he was found.
When asked about the others, sheriff’s Capt. Andy Shedd said there were no life jackets he was aware of.
Shedd said the swimmers were at least 40 to 50 yards from the beach.
Se’Vonn’s body was found in about 7 feet of water, and Shedd was unsure of his swimming abilities.
The body was found after search efforts that included a Georgia Department of Natural Resources patrol vessel utilizing boat-mounted sonar, along with the Columbia County Fire/Rescue Dive Team.
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