Kentucky high school football player's body recovered from lake

The body of missing Madison Central High School student and football player Emanuel "Manny" Prewitt was recovered Tuesday night from Herrington Lake in Kentucky.

Prewitt, 17, was swimming with friends on June 10 by Gwinn Island on Herrington Lake when he went missing underwater, according to local outlets.

That part of the lake is just outside Danville in Boyle County and roughly 85 miles southeast of Louisville.

On Tuesday night, search crews retrieved Prewitt's body from the water, the Richmond Register first reported.

Boyle County Emergency Management Director Mike Wilder said Prewitt's body was found about 9:40 p.m. Thursday in an area near the spot he went under.

Prewitt's body has been transported to the state medical examiner's office in Frankfort for an autopsy, and Wilder said foul play was not suspected.

Prewitt was described as athletic and a good swimmer, and Wilder added that an autopsy will look for any unknown underlying health conditions that could have been factors in the death.

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Dozens of volunteers had searched for the missing teen in the past week, with a team from Tennessee also reportedly joining in the effort that shifted to a recovery mission.

Prewitt was a rising senior at Madison Central High School in Richmond.

"We are grateful to the many dedicated people who have continued to search," Madison County Schools said Tuesday night in a post on its Facebook page. "Please continue to hold the Prewitt Family close to your hearts and in your thoughts and prayers."

The Twitter account for Madison Central High School Athletics added: "Please continue to pray for this beautiful family. They need our help more than ever!"

Madison Central's football coach, Mark Scenters, told WKYT that Prewitt was the best representation of his football program both on and off the field.

"He played hard and gave great effort at all times and was very good about taking coaching and doing those things," Scenters told the Lexington television station.

Prewitt was remembered for his smile along with a polite and reserved nature, with teammates and friends honoring the defensive back on social media with the hashtags #mannystrong and #11, which was his number on the football team.

On June 11, Madison Central teammates, classmates, administrators, parents and coaches gathered in the middle of the school's football field to quietly reflect, pray and mourn, the Richmond Register reported.

"This is as real a message as you will ever receive in your life," Scenters reportedly told the group of about 100 gathered that evening. "The next day, the next hour, the next minute, the next second — none of that is promised. It is not guaranteed."

A GoFundMe set up to support Prewitt's family has raised more than $25,000.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/subscribe.