Lance King/Getty Images Georgia high school football player Dylan Thomas died Sunday night after suffering a head injury during a game on Friday, according to Marlena Baldacci, Devon M. Sayers and Eric Levenson of CNN. The 16-year-old linebacker for Pike County High School came out of the game with an injury before passing out on the sidelines. He was initially brought to WellStar Spalding Regional Hospital and then Grady Hospital in Atlanta before dying two days later. Despite the severity of the injury, it is not yet known exactly when in the game between the Pike County and Peach County High School Thomas' injury occurred. "We're in a constant process of evaluating the entire thing to see if we can pinpoint one area that maybe this occurred," head coach Brad Webber said. "There wasn't anything that really stuck out." "He was an incredible young man with work ethic that you can't believe," Webber said of Thomas. "He was the heart and soul of our defense. Just great student, great family, and the sky was gonna be the limit for him." According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, 13 people died from playing football in 2017, including both direct and indirect fatalities, all at either the high school or college level. Three of the direct deaths attributed to either brain or spinal cord injuries occurred during a game, while the others took place during practice or conditioning.<doc-sep>Dylan Thomas died due to a brain injury after he was hit during a high school football game, his family said A tight-knit Georgia community is mourning the death of a 17-year-old football player, who died just days after he was injured during a game, according to reports. Dylan Thomas, an 11th grader at Pike County High School in Zebulon, was hit during the second quarter as the school’s Pirates played against the Peach County Trojans on Friday, his uncle Nick Burgess said, according to the Associated Press. Thomas later collapsed on the sidelines. Get push notifications with news, features and more. “I heard that he was saying that, you know, he wasn’t feeling right and that’s when his left leg and his left arm went numb and he pretty much fell off the bench,” Burgess told WAGA. Thomas was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition, according to WAGA. He underwent two surgeries to reduce swelling in his brain. As doctors worked to save the teen, family members continued to hold out hope that he would be okay. “Things are not looking good at all. I can’t even describe the pain I am feeling,” Burgess wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday. “Dylan Thomas is in very critical condition we will not know anything for another 12 hours. whether he will pull through or not as of right now his brain is still swelling even if he does pull through chances are he will not be the same.” He wrote in another post: “I’m so stressed and worried about my little nephew who I love to death. Im worn out from crying so much an no sleep.” On Sunday afternoon, hundreds from the community gathered for a prayer vigil for Thomas and his family at Pike Stadium. Thomas died that night, according to WAGA. Officials honored the teen on the school’s website, posting a photo of Thomas’ football jersey (#32) hanging in the locker room. They wrote in a statement: “The Pike County community mourns the loss of Dylan Thomas. Please keep his family, friends, and team in your thoughts.” In the wake of the death, family and friends shared memories of Thomas on Facebook. “Tonight god gained a beautiful angel , gone way too soon , i will forever cherish all of our stupid memories and the way you made me smile when no one else could,” Allyson Prince wrote in a post on Saturday. “Dylan thomas you will forever be in my heart . god sure is lucky because pike sure is gonna miss you down here. rest easy dylan you’re finally pain free. i love you dylan.” Another wrote: “We lost Dylan tonight shortly after the candle light vigil. I never admired a young man more than this one I called ‘Nephew’ Hold your loved ones a little longer, make that visit, make that phone call and always tell them you love them. We love you Dylan Michael Thomas.”<doc-sep>
Pike County varsity linebacker Dylan Thomas died on Sunday night after suffering a serious in-game injury, FOX 5 Atlanta reported. Thomas, a high school junior whose team was playing against Peach County during Friday night's matchup, was injured in the second quarter but did not feel the collision's effects until the second half. According to his uncle, it wasn't until then that Thomas's arm and leg went numb and Thomas collapsed on the field. Thomas was then rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he underwent two surgeries to reduce brain swelling. The news comes after hundreds of locals gathered for a vigil on the football field Sunday afternoon. The community rallied in support of Thomas by sharing their prayers using the hashtag #DylanStrong and by raising more than $29,000 by Monday morning. Thomas is one of two Georgia football players to collapse on the field a during a game over the weekend. Westlake High School graduate Christion Abercrombie, a sophomore linebacker at Tennessee State, is in critical condition after losing consciousness during a game against Vanderbilt on Saturday. According to the Tennessean, head coach Rod Reed told WNSR on his morning radio show that Abercrombie was injured on a routine play. Like Thomas, it wasn't until later that Abercrombie began experiencing side effects, telling coaches he had a headache before collapsing on the field. Abercrombie was rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for emergency surgery. "Christion is resting. He's fighting," Abercrombie's mother, Staci Abercrombie, said in a statement through the school's sports department on Sunday. "We're trusting God and please continue to pray."