BELLVILLE, Ga. -- A 14-year-old south Georgia boy was seriously injured after he was struck by lightning during football practice at a private school in Bellville, which is west of Savannah.

Claxton Fire Chief Harold Rogers said Thursday that witnesses reported a loud boom and a cloud of dust when lightning struck the field at Pinewood Christian Academy on Wednesday.

Sheriff Randall Tippins said the injured student, William Dalton Raulerson, was taken to Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah and was listed in critical condition Thursday.

Severe thunderstorms swept through southeast Georgia on Wednesday night, but Rogers said skies were clear when the lightning struck. He said coaches immediately performed CPR on the boy, likely saving his life.