Sacramento-area high school football player awakens in hospital with message for teammates
High school football kicked off throughout the Sacramento region, but there was a winner before Friday’s games.
His name is Trevor Loveall, a 6-foot-3, 305-pound two-way lineman for Capital Christian. He went down early in a Saturday scrimmage in Placer County after being part of the defensive pile on a 4th-and-1 play, collapsing after he climbed out of the pile.
Capital Christian coaches, a trainer and a fireman seated in the stands rushed to his aid before he was taken away by ambulance as players from the four teams in the jamboree — Capital Christian, Center, Lincoln and Lodi — stood by and watched. Some prayed. Others cried. Everyone was concerned.
Loveall has been in the ICU at Sutter Roseville Medical Center since Saturday, his family by his side. He awoke on Wednesday — in good spirits and with a hearty appetite.
Loveall also thought of his football teammates who had been thinking of him, to the point of camping out in the Sutter parking lot for four hours until Cougars coach Aaron Garcia told them to go home, assuring them that Loveall feels their prayers. Loveall on Wednesday held up a piece of paper with a hand-written message for his teammates: “BEAT SHELDON!”
Capital Christian hosted Sheldon in its season opener Friday.
“It was amazing to sit with him and have a relaxed conversation after seeing the massive trauma that he endured,” Garcia said. “I really believe I was in the presence of a real-life miracle. God is good.”
Loveall passed a mandatory physical before summer workouts began. It is still unknown what caused him to collapse. A CAT scan showed no signs of a concussion. Doctors will continue to monitor him.
It took several moments to revive Loveall, who was not able to breathe on his own during his first days in the hospital. There is no immediate timetable for his release from the hospital and it’s not clear if he will return to football.
This story was originally published August 17, 2023 at 11:18 AM.