JV football player’s spine broken when opponent jumps on top of him, MI mom says

By Mike Stunson
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 23, 2025 12:33 PM


A JV football player for Kalamazoo Central High School was seen jumping on top of a defenseless player during a Michigan game. Facebook video screengrab from Berrien County Community Connection

A junior varsity football player has been disciplined after a viral video showed him jumping on top of an opposing player, injuring him, Michigan officials say.

An offensive lineman for Kalamazoo Central High School was seen in the video blocking a Lakeshore High School player during a Sept. 18 game. With the Lakeshore player on the ground, the Kalamazoo Central player then leapt on top of the opposing player, pancaking him as the play appeared to be over.

“And I at first was like, is that my son? And as soon as it clicked that it was, I couldn’t be stopped. I had to go down there,” Courtney Mims, the mother of the Lakeshore player, told WSBT. “I’ve never felt anything like it. I’ve never been as upset or shaken up as I was over something for my son.” … Mims posted on Facebook that her son, Colton Mims, was believed to have suffered a slight spine fracture. She confirmed to WSBT that Colton broke his spine in two places, ending his season.

In a Sept. 19 statement shared on Facebook, Kalamazoo Central High School said its player made a “poor choice,” one that “does not represent our football program, our coaching staff, or the values of our school community.”

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