Brandon Smith, a sophmore football player, was tragically found dead before his team's championship game.

The Manchester High School community was heartbroken to learn of the death of Brandon Smith, a 17 year old sophomore football player, on December 10th, just one day before the team's scheduled appearance in the state championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

In a letter from Meriwether Schools Superintendent Robert Griffin and Manchester Principal Suze Neal, they expressed their sorrow writing, “We are heartbroken to hear the news of the tragic and untimely death of one of our student-athletes, Brandon Smith. Manchester High School’s celebration of playing for the Georgia 1-A State Football Championship has unfortunately turned into something none of us could have fathomed.”

The circumstances of Smith’s death, who was reported missing on December 9th, are currently being investigated by the Manchester Police Department, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Meriwether County coroner. While the exact cause of death is unknown, WRBL-TV reported that officials were actively investigating a scene approximately half a mile from the school.

Manchester High School football coach Steven Holmes confirmed Smith’s death, and the Meriwether County School System shared an update on Facebook saying, “Brandon was a loyal teammate and friend who excelled on and off the field. He will be deeply missed.”

Smith was an offensive and defensive lineman for the Manchester Blue Devils High School Football team who were slated to face Bowdon in the Class A Division II final on Monday night. This would have been the school’s first championship game since 1997.

In light of this tragedy, mental health support will be made available to the Manchester community as they grapple with this loss.

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