A varsity football player at Cummings High School died after collapsing before football practice on Monday, according to the Alamance-Burlington School System.
The school district says that 15-year-old Malik Mebane collapsed as he was coming out on the field for football practice on Monday afternoon.
The school’s athletic trainer was nearby and provided CPR until EMS arrived at the scene and took Mebane to the hospital where he would later be pronounced dead.
It was his first year on the varsity football team at CHS. The school does not have a junior varsity team. Mebane was a lineman and played on the offensive and defensive line.
Football practice is canceled on Tuesday. A decision has not been made yet on whether the team will play on Friday or not.
ABSS released the following 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.”