Florida high school football player dies at age 18 after collapsing during a game Friday night

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — A Florida high school football player has died after collapsing during a game, officials said.

Port St. Joe High School wide receiver and defensive back Chance Gainer collapsed during Friday night’s game at Liberty County High School. The 18-year-old senior was playing cornerback when a play went to the opposite side of the field, said Tim Davis, Port St. Joe’s athletic director and vice principal.

Gainer was running toward the play when he collapsed, Davis told the Northwest Florida Daily News.

“He just went to the ground suddenly,” Davis said.

Coaches ran to his side and then signaled for paramedics. He was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where he died. Gainer had scored on a 70-yard touchdown earlier in the game and had returned a kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown last week.

Davis said there were about four minutes left in Friday’s game when administrators learned of Gainer’s death. The decision was made to let the game finish, with Port St. Joe winning 28-0. Gainer’s teammates were then told of his death.

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

A police escort led the Port St. Joe team bus to the hospital where Gainer had died before the players returned home.

Gainer was an honors student and had recently visited Vanderbilt University to discuss attending there, Gulf County School Superintendent Jim Norton told WJHG-TV.

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

Port St. Joe’s game next week has been canceled.

The National Federation of State High School Associations said last week that six high school players had died within the past month, four of them from heart issues and two from being hit.

Originally Published: September 7, 2024 at 3:36 p.m.