A former Richwoods High School football player, Santonio Wallace, died on April 20 after drowning at a beach near Pensacola, Florida.
He played on the varsity team as both a defensive lineman (DL) and offensive lineman (OL), wearing jersey number 52.
Santonio Wallace got into trouble while swimming in the water east of the Navarre Beach bridge.
Emergency crews from Navarre Beach Fire Rescue, Holly-Navarre Fire Department, and the Midway Fire District searched for him for hours on Sunday evening, but they weren’t able to find him.
On 21 April’s early morning, around 6:10 a.m., Santonio Wallace’s body was found by the Daphne Search and Rescue team.
Family And Friends Mourn The Loss Of Santonio Wallace
He is survived by his beloved parents Mandra Wallace and Harry Wallace.
Santonio’s mom, Mandra Wallace, said their family had gone out to the beach many times and the kids loved playing in the water.
Santonio liked going out far into the ocean, even though he wasn’t a strong swimmer.
She had warned him about the strong currents and how the sandbars can suddenly drop off, but he loved the excitement and challenge of it, that’s just how he approached everything in life.
Mandra was in the water with Santonio at Navarre Beach, holding his 8-year-old little brother, Oronde, because he couldn’t reach the bottom.
She couldn’t let go of Oronde to help Santonio, even though he needed help.
Mandra quickly moved Oronde toward the shore, getting him close enough to where he could stand and her husband, Harry, could swim out and grab him.
Then she turned back and fought her way through the water, trying to reach Santonio as fast as she could.
Mandra said she and Santonio struggled together in the water for what felt like 10 minutes.
She reached out and had him within her fingertips, even held him in her arms for a moment, but he was bigger than her, and she couldn’t keep hold of him.
A kayaker came by and helped her stay above water, but by then, Santonio had already gone under and was too far down.
Mandra screamed and fought with everything she had to save her son, but he slipped through her fingers and disappeared beneath the water.
Condolences are pouring in from the community, friends, and teammates as people mourn the heartbreaking loss of Santonio Wallace.
Prayers and condolences to my Wallace Family💔💔💔 My son has been CRYING since yesterday over the passing of his friend😔 Only for me to find out WHO💔 Duke N Mandra I love y’all frfr
Omi Boo
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Standing 6’1″ and weighing 270 pounds, Santonio was strong and fast—he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds and could bench press 225 pounds.
- He was a two-year varsity starter and had a 3.6 GPA. Santonio was part of the class of 2026 and dreamed of playing football and continuing his education after high school.
