The staff and students of Windsor High School are mourning the loss of 15-year-old football player Elijah-Jay Mariano-Rivera, who died suddenly during a medical emergency at practice on Tuesday.
Friends and fellow students in the northern suburb of Hartford, Connecticut, are memorializing the 15-year-old as a vibrant and “funny” kid.
Freshman student Maria Tostarelli told WVIT-TV that the football player was “Very nice, a very funny kid, and just always brightened up whenever he walked into a room.”
“So sad. Like I can’t believe this happened,” Tostarelli added.
District officials told the media that the teen was at practice but was not engaged in any activities when he was stricken.
Mariano-Rivera was rushed to Connecticut Children’s Hospital but could not be revived and was pronounced dead.
Dr. Glenn Lungarini, the executive director of Connecticut’s Interscholastic Athletic Conference, said that instances like this can hit a small community hard.
“It’s always tragic to lose somebody so young, particularly in a community like Windsor, that is such a tight-knit group,” Lungarini said.
The district postponed the PSATs, which were scheduled for Wednesday, out of respect for Mariano-Rivera.
The cause of the teen’s death has not yet been determined.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, or Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston