High School Football Player In Connecticut Dies Suddenly At Practice Despite Reportedly Not Participating

A 15-year-old high school football player in Connecticut suddenly died during his team's practice on Tuesday after losing consciousness.

Police and emergency personnel administered CPR to Elijah-Jay Mariano Rivera, an eleventh-grade student at Windsor High School, but could not revive him. According to the school district, Mariano-Rivera was not participating in any drills or tackling anyone when he lost consciousness.

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Mariano Rivera was eventually taken to Connecticut Children's Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to NBC Connecticut.

''Very nice, a very funny kid and just always brightened up whenever he walked into a room," Windsor freshman Maria Tostarelli told the outlet.

"They know as well that while they're sad they're not sad alone right now. They have each other and they'll use those relationships and the spirit of who Elijah was to carry them through this," Dr. Glenn Lungarini, the executive director of Connecticut's Interscholastic Athletic Conference, said.

Windsor issued a statement on Tuesday night explaining that crisis teams would be available for any students and staff at the school.

"We will have our crisis teams available for students and staff at Windsor High and Sage Park. As a community, we want to keep his family in our thoughts and prayers. And support them moving forward however we can.”

At this point in time, no other information about Mariano Rivera's death has been released.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.