A 17-year-old senior quarterback at Alma Center Lincoln High School has died from injuries suffered during a high school football game, the school district announced over the weekend.
Adam James Massman died Saturday, August 22, 2026, two days after being injured in Lincoln’s season-opening contest against Turtle Lake on Thursday, August 20. Emergency medical technicians who were already on site treated him on the field before he was transported to a hospital. Lincoln won the game 42-18.
District Superintendent Drew Semingson informed families of the death in a message Saturday afternoon. “Adam was injured during Thursday night’s football game,” Semingson wrote. “He received medical support from EMT who were onsite at the game, before being transported to the hospital. We received news this afternoon that Adam passed away from the injury.”
Semingson described Massman as active in the Lincoln community through multiple sports, clubs and activities. He also noted the family’s deep ties to the district: Massman’s mother, Brianne, works as an elementary school counselor; a sibling attends the junior high; relatives serve as teachers and on the school board. Counseling support was made available for students, staff and families beginning the following week.
Specific details about the nature of the injury have not been released by school or medical officials out of respect for the family’s privacy. Massman’s mother told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the family knows there was helmet-to-helmet contact during the game. “I mean, no one would ever think something that severe would really happen,” she said. “We’re just completely devastated.”
Massman, born June 17, 2009, was entering his senior year. He played quarterback and defensive back for the Lincoln Hornets and also competed in basketball, baseball and golf. In the 2025 football season he threw for 858 yards and 10 touchdowns while rushing for 280 yards and three scores, totaling about 1,138 yards according to MaxPreps. He was named to the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association’s 2025 Boys Basketball Academic All-State list. Beyond sports, he showed cattle at fairs, including the Wisconsin State Fair, where he earned Grand Champion Bred & Owned Market Steer honors.
Family members and friends remembered him as determined, strong yet quiet by nature, humorous and fully committed to whatever he pursued. “What he invested in, he invested in all the way,” his mother said. An obituary published by Jensen-Modjeski Funeral Home described him as someone who “could be a young man of few words and many words all at the same time” and who thrived on connecting with others. He is survived by his parents, Brian and Brianne Massman; his brother, Brett; and extended family.
(Photo: Brianne Massman / Facebook)
In response to the tragedy, Alma Center Lincoln canceled its next scheduled game, a home contest against Cornell set for Friday, August 28. Teammates painted Massman’s parking spot at the school with the letters “LLA” (Long Live Adam) and his jersey number 4 as a tribute.
Visitation is set for Friday, Aug. 28, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Lincoln High School gym, with additional hours Saturday morning. The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the school, followed by burial at East Lawn Cemetery. The family has invited attendees to a potluck afterward and asked that people wear school colors or livestock show clothes.
