Brandon High School football player Phillip Laster, 17, died Monday during an afternoon football practice, according to one of his teammates.
“He got tired to the point where he started throwing up, and he fell out and the coaches were all trying to see what to do,” said Jarvis Durr, one of Laster’s teammates. “They started doing CPR on him and all the ambulances came and I guess it was just too late.”
Rankin County Coroner David Ruth said no injuries were detected, and that there is no timetable on having more information.
“He’s being held at the medical examiner’s office for that ruling. So you know, until they complete the autopsy, and, you know, I mean, there’s a series of things that if they see something immediate, then it’s possible that we’ll know soon, but if they have to do histology and other extensive testing then it could take a while,” Ruth said. “I can’t put a timeline on it.”
The Rankin County School District released a statement Monday but do not plan to update that further today.
“We are saddened and heartbroken by the sudden loss of Brandon High School student-athlete, Phillip Laster. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time,” Dr. Scott Rimes, Superintendent of Education said in a statement from the school district.
Temperatures Monday afternoon were in the low 90s in the Brandon area with heat indices at or above 100 degrees, according to the National Weather Service in Jackson.
According to the Rankin County School District, all athletes are required to have a physical prior to being allowed to participate in athletics. However, there are no sport specific physicals
Durr said the team was doing conditioning on Monday afternoon when Laster collapsed around 4:30 p.m.
Durr described Laster as a great person who was quiet and had made a lot of friends at school.
“He was humble, and he was in his first year of playing football here,” Durr said. “He gave it all he got and come yesterday he got to the point where he couldn’t give it anymore.”
Durr said Laster meant a lot to the community and that the team will not only be playing for a championship this year but also will be playing for “his family and this community.”
Lester Miller, a senior football player at Brandon, praised Laster for his committment to the game.
“I actually knew Phillip for a very long time and he was a good dude,” Miller said. “He had a pure heart.”
Miller and Laster played little league football together as children on the Pearl Cowboys.
“He was the type of guy that always wanted to be a part of a winning team,” Miller said. “(He) always wanted to be a part of football. Football has always been there for him ever since little league.
“Everyone was shocked,” Miller said. “He had a pure heart. Everybody loved Phil, the community was devastated.
“It just makes everybody closer,” Miller said. “Getting closer with everybody. Telling them I’ve got them. I love them. They know I’ve got them. It just brings us closer and makes us want to play harder together as a team.”
This is a developing story and the Clarion Ledger will update it as more information becomes available.
Staff writer Ross Reily contributed to this report.
