"BRANDON, Mississippi — Soon after Ashanta Laster reached the hospital, she was ushered into the emergency room where she saw doctors performing CPR on her teenage son.

Laster had gotten a call that 17-year-old Phillip Laster Jr., a lineman who played for a top Mississippi high school, had collapsed on the field during an August 2022 practice. At the time, the family says the heat index was 102 degrees (38.9 degrees Celsius) on the football field.

“They kept compressing his chest trying to bring him back. No response, no response. Never a heartbeat,” said Laster, recalling how she dropped her purse, called her husband and started praying."

Michael Casey reports for the Associated Press September 20, 2024. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Takeaways From AP Report On Risks Of Rising Heat For High School Football Players" (AP) [3]