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High School Football Player Dies: Evan Murray Collapsed After Tackle

By Tara Dodrill
Published on: 03:49 PST, Sep 28, 2015

A high school football player died after suffering an injury on the field on Saturday. Evan Murray, 17, was the star quarterback of his New Jersey football team.

Evan Murray walked off the high school football field under the power of his own steam after taking a hit in the backfield during the second quarter of the game, MSN reports.

The high school football player collapsed shortly after leaving the field. Evan Murray said that he felt “woozy” after being tackled but told his teammates he would be fine as he was placed on a gurney and taken to a local hospital, ABC News reports.

The Summit schools superintendent said district officials and members of the Summit High School football team met on Saturday morning before the memorial. The players and coaches were encouraged to talk about the high school football player’s death and were provided with support services.

“He tried giving a thumbs-up to the rest of the team, and all of us cheered,” cheerleader Kaitlin Bell, 16, said. “Our coach was telling us he was going to be all right. We didn’t expect anything would happen.”

A memorial was held at the Summit, New Jersey, high school on Saturday. Coaches, players, cheerleaders, and community members expressed their shock about the death of Murray.

Evan Murray was described as “an amazing student and an amazing athlete,” by junior Taylor Coughlin. “He stood out in his athletics, his academics — everything. A lot of people were in disbelief and didn’t want to believe it.”

“Last night we experienced a tragedy in the loss of student-athlete Evan Murray following an injury during the Summit-Warren Hills football game,” said a statement from Interim Superintendent Gary Bowen posted on the Warren Hills Regional School District website. “We are deeply saddened and sincerely appreciate the support and caring of our close-knit greater Warren Hills community.”

Both the New York Jets football team and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie joined the massive outpouring of condolences for Evan Murray posted on social media.

“We lost a fine kid,” Warren Hills football coach Larry Dubiel said during an interview with Lehigh Valley Live.

School officials are still attempting to determine what happened to Evan Murray. The Warren County Prosecutor’s Office told local reporters that the police are investigating the death.

Murray is the third high school football player to die in recent days, ESPN reports. Tom Cutinella, a football player for Shoreham-Wading River High School, died after suffering a head injury during a game on Wednesday night.

Cornerback Demario Harris Jr. died in Troy, Alabama, on Friday. The football player from Charles Henderson High School collapsed after a being tackled during a game.

[Image via Twitter]

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