Wauseon football player collapses

Wauseon football player Dustin Snow collapsed shortly after morning practice. THE WAUSEON REPORTER Enlarge

A Wauseon senior football player is in critical condition after he collapsed shortly after the morning session of two-a-day practice at the school Wednesday, a spokesman at Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center said.

Dustin Snow lost consciousness and was transported by air ambulance to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo.

First-year Indians Coach Travis Cooper said  Snow – a 6-foot-1, 285-pound lineman and returning starter for Wauseon – had just sat down for the team’s lunch break about 11:30 a.m., got out his lunch and had just taken the lid off his Gatorade when he collapsed.

“Talking to the kids, there was no indication before then that anything was wrong with Dustin other than he wasn’t feeling well,” Cooper said. “He just went down and lost consciousness.

“The EMS truck was there within seven minutes. He was packed in ice bags right away. He was taken to Fulton County Hospital first and then he was LifeFlighted at around 1:15. As far as I know he never stopped breathing, but he was hyperventilating.” 

Cooper, who was previously the head coach at Wauseon’s Northwest Ohio Athletic League foe, Bryan, said that Snow is an exceptional student who carries a 4.0 grade average and is ranked No. 1 in his class at Wauseon.

Cooper said he actually arrived at Fulton County Hospital before Snow arrived there. When Snow was taken away by LifeFlight, the coach returned to the afternoon practice to address the team quickly, dismissed the players and then drove to St. Vincent.

As of 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, the hospital said Snow was in critical condition.