A Texas high school student has died after suffering a medical emergency during football practice, according to school officials.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE on Thursday, August 21, the Lancaster Independent School District identified the student as 15-year-old Preston Malone, a sophomore at Lancaster Early College High School.
The district said Malone, who played on the junior varsity team, began to feel unwell during practice on Monday, August 18. He told a coach he wasn’t feeling right before the emergency occurred. “The coach immediately noticed that Malone was not sweating,” Kimberly Simpson, a spokesperson for the school district, said at a news conference per CBS. “He was not perspiring.”
The district said staff members quickly called 911 and placed Malone in a cold tub to lower his body temperature. Paramedics then took him to the hospital for additional care. Officials explained that while there was initial hope he would recover, his condition worsened overnight, and he later passed away.
At a news conference, Superintendent A. Katrise Perera Simpson shared details about Malone’s final moments.
“His last words were, ‘Hey, I’m sorry I was unable to finish the workout,’” she said, “which speaks to the type of kid Preston was.”
The practice was held inside because of the extreme heat outdoors. Temperatures reached 104 degrees on August 18. The school is located in Lancaster, Texas. This is a suburban community in southern Dallas County, part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metro area. It sits roughly 15 miles south of downtown Dallas.
In a press release, the school district said: “Our Lancaster ISD athletic training staff carefully followed all UIL and district heat safety protocols and procedures, which included adjusting practice times, utilizing indoor facilities, maintaining hydration stations, monitoring real-time heat conditions, and ensuring certified athletic trainers were on site.”
Also, “When the medical emergency occurred, our staff responded immediately and with great care for our student.”
Simpson also explained at the conference that the indoor practice facility does not have an HVAC system, but it is equipped with four large garage door openings that remain raised, along with fans to help circulate air inside.
From his early games to his final goodbye, Mark Badger, Bryant Young, and Marcus Badger are honoring the memory of Preston Malone III, according to KTTC.
The three had coached Preston throughout his football journey, but they say he also left them with lasting lessons in perseverance and determination.
“He got a penalty. I said, ‘Preston, why didn’t you stop?’ He said, ‘Coach, I didn’t hear the whistle,’” Marcus Badger recalled.
Coach Badger added, “He wasn’t the biggest kid, so he always had to fight,.”
Former coach Young said, “It’s just hard. It’s just hard thinking someone that you’ve been knowing since they were a kid, gone as a kid.”
