This story is breaking my heart. My son plays JVs at Northwood High. We talk every day about proper hydration and nutrition during “hell week” (two 3 hour practices a day).
Beckman High is the next closest high school to my home and we have good friends with children who attend this school. The young lineman is only a year older than my boy. My heart is breaking for his family, the team and the community.  These sort of things happen every year; you still don’t expect them to happen in your backyard.
That’s sad. I remember two-a-days very well at Mater Dei. It’s grueling.
OK Allan, I will bite. What position did you play?
I played in upstate NY; my school was a powerhouse. Only one losing season since 1966. We’d get th eheat and the humidity. Its hot here, but its a dry heat.
Every football team should have an AED and a person trained in CPR and in using the AED.
There just is no excuse for not taking these precautions.
Moreover, when playing in this heat, coaches need to be trained in how to prevent heat illness.
I realize this case involved cardiac arrhythmia, but high heat conditions could not have helped.
Like you Dan I am very sad for the player’s family and teammates. We lose far too many athletes and need to take steps to prevent losing any more.
And before anyone starts saying I am not qualified to comment on this, I am a certified First Aid and CPR, and AED, instructor.
I spoke with the trainer at Northwood and she says Beckman’s staff did everything right; frequent water breaks, etc…remember, they didn’t even start with pads yet. This is a tragedy.
Dan,
Sometimes you cannot escape the hand of God. We talk a lot in safety about risk avoidance – but these conditions often go undiagnosed. They are ticking time bombs.
That being the case, all we can do is pray for the family. My oldest son is going to be playing on both the baseball and basketball teams at Godinez High School in Santa Ana. You bet I will be having him checked out by his doctor beforehand.
I was a defensive lineman & outside linebacker. I’m surprised more kids don’t die during these hellish two a days week. I remember losing up to 10 pounds of fluids if I recall after some practices.