Florida high school football player dies after collapsing during game

PANAMA CITY, Fla. – A high school football player in the Florida Panhandle has died after collapsing during a game, officials said.

Port St. Joe High School wide receiver Chance Gainer collapsed during Friday night's game at Liberty High School. The 18-year-old 12th-grader was taken to the hospital but died, Gulf County School Superintendent Jim Norton told WJHG-TV.

Gainer was an honor student and had recently visited Vanderbilt University to talk about studying there, Norton said.

Gainer “had world-class speed, but more importantly, he had a world-class personality,” Norton said.

Friday's game was canceled after Gainer's collapse, and Port St. Joe's game for next week was also canceled.

The National Federation of State High School Associations announced last week that six high school players had died in the past month, four from heart problems and two from beatings.