Officials and doctors are still trying to determine how a high school quarterback in Texas died Friday night after collapsing on the sideline during a game.
West Orange-Stark (Orange, Texas) quarterback Reggie Garrett collapsed during the Mustangs' home game against Jasper just moments after throwing his second touchdown pass, reports from the Beaumont Enterprise indicated.
According to West Orange-Stark head coach Dan Hooks, he appeared to suffer a seizure near the sideline and medics present at the game rushed him to the hospital in an ambulance.
Garrett arrived in the emergency room at 8:30 p.m. and was pronounced dead an hour later.
His death comes one week after Hayward Demison, a receiver at Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.), suffered a heart attack after scoring a game-winning touchdown. He was revived on the field.
The Enterprise reported Saturday that it may take weeks to learn what actually caused Garrett to collapse.
He reportedly had a history of seizures and though footage from the game has not been released, there are reports that Garrett might have taken a blow to the head following his TD pass.
One teammate told the Enterprise they saw Garrett, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound senior, twitch after he collapsed. The teams continued to play with West Orange winning a hollow 27-6 contest.
"I saw him come off the field, and he was kind of, 'Hah, good shot,' " Hooks told the newspaper. "He was happy. That was all. There wasn't any major reaction."
The teams continued to play, Hook said, because every one was uncertain about his status.
"We really didn't know until, we just kind of found out," Hooks told the newspaper. "I couldn't verify. It was kind of a rumor. It was just horrible.
“You
see how these kids reacted. He’s just super. A good
student. It will be hard for them. It will take a long time for them to
get over that. Me too.”
On Saturday, Hooks said district officials will meet Sunday to determine whether the team will play its next two games.
