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Texas high school football star dies in twin brother’s arms

A high school football star died in the arms of his brother after a fight broke out over a wrong seat in the middle of a track meet.

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A Texas high school football star was stabbed in the heart and died in the arms of his twin brother after a fight over a seat at a track meet, his heartbroken family says.

Austin Metcalf was attending a track and field championship between other area schools at Kuykendall Stadium in Frisco, Texas, when the fatal attack happened on April 2, the NY Post reports.

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Metcalf, a junior at Memorial High School outside Dallas, was in his team’s tent when a fight broke out between the teen and 17-year-old Karmelo Anthony, cops say.

Anthony, a 17-year-old senior at Centennial High School just five miles away, was allegedly told he was sitting in the wrong seat. He then allegedly drew a knife and pierced Metcalf through the heart, the dead teen’s father Jeff Metcalf told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.

Hunter, who was born 2 minutes after Austin, rushed to aid his brother but couldn’t save him.

“I tried to whip around as fast as I could,” an emotional Hunter Metcalf told WFAA. “I looked at my brother and I’m not going to talk about the rest. I tried to help him.”

The stabbing happened around 10 a.m. during the UIL District 11-5A championship track meet at Kuykendall Stadium.
The stabbing happened around 10 a.m. during the UIL District 11-5A championship track meet at Kuykendall Stadium.
Austin (left) with his father, Jeff (middle), and twin brother, Hunter (right)
Austin (left) with his father, Jeff (middle), and twin brother, Hunter (right)

The heartbroken brother said that neither of the siblings had ever met Anthony prior to Wednesday’s meet, with the whole fight taking just seconds.

“It really was under 30 seconds, this altercation,” Hunter said. “I never met this kid in my life.

“We asked him to move. He started getting aggressive and talking reckless,” Hunter recalled.

“And my brother stepped in and said, ‘You need to move,’” Hunter added, “And (Anthony’s) like, ‘Make me move.’

“All of the sudden, he grabbed his backpack,” the brother said.

Just seconds into the tussle, Hunter said Anthony pulled out a knife and stabbed his brother in the chest.

“They were twins, identical twins, and his brother was holding on to him, trying to make it stop bleeding, and he died in his brother’s arms,” Jeff Metcalf recalled.

Hunter Metcalf called his parents to tell them about the stabbing, with their father rushing to find Austin on a gurney not breathing.

“I could see all the blood, and I saw where the wound was, and I was very concerned, so I had to find his brother, and we rushed to the hospital. And we prayed, and it’s God’s plan, I don’t understand it, but they weren’t able to save him. This is murder,” Jeff Metcalf said.

The teen was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Austin Metcalf lost his life.
Austin Metcalf lost his life.
Karmelo Anthony was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
Karmelo Anthony was arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

“Despite lifesaving measures by police and fire personnel, including CPR and the administration of blood, the (17)-year-old died,” Frisco police said.

Anthony was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. He is being held at Collin County Jail, with bail set at $1 million.

The grieving father questioned Anthony’s upbringing and parents as he forgave his son’s alleged killer.

“I’m not trying to judge, but what kind of parents did this child have? What was he taught? He brought a knife to a track meet and he murdered my son by stabbing him in the heart. The guy was in the wrong place and they asked him to move and he bowed up (became angry and aggressive). This is murder,” Jeff Metcalf said.

“You know what, I already forgive this person. Already. God takes care of things. God is going to take care of me. God is going to take care of my family,” he added.

Anthony, a 5-foot-10 free safety, revealed on social media he had received offers from several colleges, mostly Division III schools.

His father told the Post his son was a “good kid” and maintains that he did not start the fight that broke out between the two boys.

Austin Metcalf and his father, Jeff, after a football game.
Austin Metcalf and his father, Jeff, after a football game.

“(Karmelo) was not the aggressor. He was not the one who started it,” he said. “He works two jobs. He’s an A student, has a 3.7 GPA.

“Everyone has already made their assumptions about my son, but he’s not what they’re making him out to be.

“I feel bad for the other parents and family, and words can’t explain how both people (families) have been affected by this tragedy.”

Austin Metcalf was remembered as a star linebacker who had garnered attention from schools as he dreamt of playing football in college.

He was recently voted his team’s Most Valuable Player and held a 4.0 GPA, according to a GoFundMe organised by his father, which has raised nearly $100,000 as of Thursday afternoon.

“He was a bright young man with a great future ahead of him,” Jeff Metcalf said. “He was a leader of men. His smile would light up the room. His passion for football was unbelievable.

“We will all remember him for the way he impacted others’ lives.”

This article originally appeared on the NY Post and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Texas high school football star dies in twin brother’s arms

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Original URL: https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/more-sports/texas-high-school-football-star-dies-in-twin-brothers-arms/news-story/da7a9a728f4c79f3d7492de429f48826