Post Detail

Florida high school football player dead at 18 after collapsing during game

"He just went to the ground suddenly," Davis told the outlet.

The incident occurred on Friday night. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Gainer, who scored a touchdown in the game, was taken to a hospital in an ambulance. He later died at the hospital. 

Gainer’s teammates were then told of his death.

The scene was heartbreaking. Parents came down on the field to comfort their kids. "Such a helpless feeling," Davis said.

Chance Gainer was an honors student.

Gainer "had world-class speed, but more importantly, had a world-class personality," Norton said.

There were seven deaths of high school and middle school football players in August alone, prompting warnings from parents and officials about taking better safety measures.

The National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research reported 16 total football-related deaths in 2023. Nine of those 16 victims were in middle or high school.

In the months of July and August over the past three academic years, there were six football deaths in 2021, three in 2022 and two in 2023, according to NCCSIR statistics.

Fox News' Audrey Conklin and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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