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2 high school football players die in separate on-field accidents across nation

Posted at 9:15 AM, Sep 17, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-17 10:17:00-04

Two high school football players died this weekend nationwide after sustaining injuries on the field.

Peter Webb, a sophomore at Southwest Covenant in Oklahoma, and Alex Miller, a senior at Roane County High School in West Virginia, both died after sustaining injuries during school football games on Friday.

Officials at Southwest Covenant, a Christian private school west of Oklahoma City, announced Webb's death in a statement Monday, calling him "a servant-leader, always ready to help anyone in need." He was 16.

"As an athlete, Peter played a key role in our football, basketball, and baseball programs, even as an underclassman," the statement said. "Coaches would say that Peter was not only talented, but he worked as hard as anyone. Teachers admired his respect and discipline in the classroom. Classmates loved Peter deeply."

"The character of this young man and the respect we all had for him cannot be contained in words," it added.

It said Webb died "as a result of an injury suffered during the football game on Friday," but it did not elaborate on the nature of his injuries. The Oklahoman newspaper said he appeared to have been knocked unconscious after taking a hit to the head during a tackle.

He sustained the injury during the fourth quarter while playing defense against Strother High School, The Oklahoman reported. Webb tackled the Strother high quarterback from behind, according to the report. As Webb made the tackle, he pulled the quarterback on top of him and fell back on his head, the report said.

He died at the Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City on Sunday.

The teenager's death came just two days after Miller collapsed and died on the field in Clay, West Virginia. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Roane County superintendent Richard Duncan confirmed the student's death in an interview with "Good Morning America" on Saturday as his teammates worked to make sense of his sudden passing.

"It's a shock to them. They were there. They were getting ready for the second quarter one moment, and the next moment, Alex was on the ground," Duncan said. "We've had an outpouring of support though from communities both within Roane County and all around the state."

He said Miller did not have any known health issues.

Both students received an outpouring of love on social media. Southwest Covenant's post on announcing Webb's passing racked up more than 1,500 reactions, comments and shares on Facebook in just a matter of hours.

The Roane County School District shared video from a candlelight vigil for Miller, gathering more than 2,500 reactions, shares and comments on Facebook.

ABC News' Henderson Hewes contributed to this report.