Airlifted Lakewood player released from Prisma Richland

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A freshman football player for Lakewood High School who was airlifted to a Columbia hospital on Wednesday as a precautionary measure was released early on Thursday morning.

I'm just happy the end result is a lot better than what we first feared," said Lakewood head coach Larry Cornelius, who feared the unidentified player had suffered a major neck injury. "The staff and the trainer did a wonderful job in a bad situation like that.

"It was a precautionary situation."

The player was airlifted to Prisma Richland Hospital to be evaluated after sustaining the injury, according to television station WLTX. A Sumter School District spokesperson said the student-athlete was able to squeeze his hands and move his limbs after the injury but was in a great deal of pain.

District spokesperson Shelly Galloway said a determination has not been made regarding his status to resume playing football as of now.

Lakewood opens its season on Friday at home against Colleton County.