‘Tragic Loss’: 15-Year-Old North Carolina High School Football Player Dies Walking to Practice

A 15-year-old student-athlete in Alamance County, North Carolina, died on Monday before football practice.

The Cummings High School student was identified as tenth-grader Malik Mebane, a varsity football player, WFMY reported on Tuesday, stating that Alamance-Burlington Schools officials confirmed the news.

The teenager died after collapsing as he made his way out to the field for a practice session. Someone at the scene called 911 while the team’s trainer performed CPR on Mebane.

“EMS arrived and transported Malik to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead,” the outlet said. Following the tragedy, other local football teams have expressed their sadness and support for the community over the loss of such a young person.

According to WXII, the Alamance-Burlington School System said in a statement:

Our District and the school community are heartbroken by this tragic loss. Malik Mebane was a student, an athlete, and a part of our community. As a district, we are committed to supporting our students as they begin to process and cope with their grief. We have a team of counselors and support staff at the school to help our students during this difficult time. We’d like to thank the community for their outpouring of love and support for the school and our students as we continue to keep the family and friends of Malik in our thoughts.

“According to Gulf County School Superintendent Jim Norton, Gainer did not have a pulse when paramedics first got to him, but they were able to bring it back before he was loaded into an ambulance,” the report said, adding, “He was soon pronounced dead at a Blountstown hospital, however.”

In August, another 15-year-old football player died following a medical emergency after a conditioning workout in Shawnee, Kansas, and the community was left grieving his loss, per Breitbart News.