Canadian High School Football Player Dies Following Neck Injury

Winnipeg is mourning the loss of Darius Hartshorne, affectionately known as Dee, a Senior High School football player for the Sisler Spartans, who passed away earlier this week following a serious neck injury sustained during a game two weeks ago.

Hartshorne was injured on Oct. 17 while returning the opening kickoff in a game against the Tec Voc Hornets. The young athlete was immediately hospitalized and underwent intensive medical care.

According to family, he was placed in an induced coma last week after developing a high fever that caused kidney and liver damage and swelling in his brain.

“Our hearts are heavy today, but there is comfort in knowing that Dee is no longer suffering,” Stephanie Ciaralli, who raised Hartshorne, wrote on Facebook Thursday. “After heartfelt visits and final goodbyes from family and friends, he took his last peaceful breath early this morning.” Ciaralli described Hartshorne as “the son I chose to love every single day, without hesitation,” expressing sorrow for the young man’s struggles in the final days but pride in the person he had become. “Though your time here was far too short, the love you gave will live on in all of us,” she wrote.

Sisler Spartans head coach Sean Esselmont remembered Hartshorne as “one of the most genuine and wonderful young men I’ve had the pleasure of coaching in all of my time here.” The team has honored Hartshorne by displaying his jersey prominently at games and wearing decals on their helmets featuring his number, 57.

Hartshorne’s death has sent shockwaves through the Winnipeg football community, with teammates, coaches, and friends paying tribute to his character, talent, and the impact he made both on and off the field.