Sacramento-area football player hospitalized in ICU after collapsing during scrimmage
A high school football scrimmage was abruptly canceled some 15 minutes into a four-way jamboree in Placer County on Saturday morning when a player collapsed after a play.
Trevor Loveall, a 6-foot-3, 305-pound two-way lineman for Capital Christian, got up after a pileup on a short-yardage play at Lincoln High School and then collapsed.
It took several long, frantic moments to get a pulse and to maintain it, several people on site told The Sacramento Bee. Capital Christian assistant coaches such as Nifae Laelao and Brendaon Norman and team trainer Gonzalo Chevez immediately administered CPR, including chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Local firefighter Jonathan Anderson, whose son Jonah is a freshman receiver for Capital Christian, came out of the stands to immediately assist.
Loveall was taken by ambulance to Sutter Roseville Medical Center, where a CT scan was clear, revealing no head or neck injuries. Loveall will undergo a series of cardiology and computerized neurocognitive screening tests in the coming days. Players from all four teams at the jamboree — Capital Christian, Lodi, Center and Lincoln — huddled together in support.
“Trevor’s vital signs are good. He’s stable and he’s in ICU,” Capital Christian head coach and athletic director Aaron Garcia said. “He’s not completely out of the woods yet. Nobody is really sure yet what happened. I talked to his family a lot, and they feel good about the future of his life and physical ability, but we’re all confused about what happened.”
All high school athletes must pass a physical, and though it was a hot morning and it has been a hot fall camp, Loveall did not exhibit any warning signs, Garcia said. Loveall was at the bottom of that pile, bearing a lot of player weight.
“It was a quarterback sneak play, a 4th-and-1, and the other team is trying to get a yard,” Garcia said of the play. “Trevor was playing defensive tackle. When he didn’t get up, I thought it was a shoulder. Another coach thought it was his knee. We jogged out there and soon realized it was much more serious than that. It looked like a seizure, and it was scary for everyone.”
Garcia said of Loveall, “He’s a great kid, a great family, and everyone loves him.”
Garcia said he was moved by the support of the other teams at the scrimmage as players and coaches all offered prayer. At the hospital, 40 Capital Christian players camped out in the parking lot, eager for updates.
“That was something,” Garcia said with emotion. “That was galvanizing. It really brought us together. Players were crying on the field. Our quarterback (Max Ellison) stepped up and led prayers. I was super proud and impressed with how everyone handled this. When I finally left the hospital after four hours, I had to tell all the players to go home. They didn’t want to leave.”
Lincoln High coach Allen Berg said the right thing to do, the human thing to do, was to cancel the rest of the jamboree.
“I looked over at Lodi, the team that was scrimmaging Capital, and they were done, their coach too — you could see it in their faces,” Berg said. “Center said there was no way they could go on. I talked to my kids and they were drained from the experience. There was nothing left. Their faces had dropped. They were panicked. I’ve had so many calls and texts from people all day and night wondering if Trevor is OK.”
The coach added: “I’m getting chills talking about it. It’s just a terrible thing. I’m thinking of my players, and they were struggling. I can’t imagine what the Capital kids are going through. We’re all hoping the young man will be OK.”
This story was originally published August 12, 2023 at 8:52 PM.