A 12-year-old Clyde, Ohio, boy who loved sports and hoped to become a professional athlete someday died Wednesday after he collapsed during football practice, officials said.

Alaric Cameron Fisher of South Main Street was practicing with the McPherson Middle School football team in Clyde when he returned from getting a drink about 6:45 p.m. and was getting ready for warm-down drills and began having trouble breathing, said Todd Helms, superintendent of the Clyde-Green Springs Schools. The boy bent over with his hands on his knees, knelt down, and collapsed, Mr. Helms said.

Emergency personnel were summoned immediately, and as Alaric got worse, the coaching staff performed CPR.

His mother, Jody Craig, was at Clyde High School to pick him up after practice. She ran onto the field to be with her son; his stepfather, Rick Craig, was notified by a family friend.

Alaric was taken to Bellevue Hospital, Bellevue, Ohio, where he died about an hour later, Mr. Helms said.

"When you know most of the people around and you get to see kids grow through the grade levels, it is an utter shock and a huge loss when something like this - that shouldn't happen - happens," Mr. Helms said.

An autopsy was performed yesterday. Dr. John Wutie, San-dusky County coroner, could not be reached for comment.

But Alaric's family said they received a report from the Lucas County coroner's office, where the autopsy was conducted.

It told them he died of a rare, previously undetected heart condition. Where Alaric's coronary artery connected to his aorta, the hole was closed and deprived the heart of an adequate blood supply. He likely was born with the condition that would not have shown up on routine physicals.

Wednesday was the third practice of the season. The players were not wearing pads and were having a noncontact practice, Mr. Helms said.

In an unrelated incident Wednesday, a Clyde High School player was hurt about 6:20 p.m. The high school junior was treated at Bellevue Hospital for a minor concussion he suffered when he fell during practice, Mr. Helms said.

The National Weather Service said temperatures were in the high 70s with 50 percent humidity at the time. There was a light breeze.

Alaric's mother was too distraught to be interviewed. His father, Greg Fisher of Fremont, could not be reached.

Mr. Craig said school officials did everything they could, and his family is thankful for their support.

Alaric was excited about the upcoming football season, having played for a smaller team last year as a running back and was preparing to be a defensive back this year as he entered seventh grade, Mr. Craig.

"He just loved to win. He was very competitive," Mr. Craig said. "He was a little guy, but he was fast. He was having a blast. He always wanted to go a half hour [or] hour early to practice."

Alaric also was an avid baseball fan and recently began playing basketball.

He loved science and did well in school, but his goal was to be a professional athlete, Mr. Craig said.

When he wasn't practicing sports, he was playing video games. Alaric also enjoyed teaching his younger brothers to play baseball or whiffle ball in the backyard, Mr. Craig said.

The school district provided counseling yesterday at the high school for Alaric's teammates. Yesterday morning school officials contacted counselors from area organizations. By 5 p.m. yesterday, 22 counselors were on hand to help the children, Mr. Helms said.

About 60 of the 80 students playing football took advantage of the counseling provided by volunteers from area schools, medical institutions, and religious organizations, he said.

Additional counselors will be at the high school from 1 to 5 p.m. today, Mr. Helms said.

Surviving Alaric are his mother and stepfather, Jody and Rick Craig; father and stepmother, Greg Fisher and Sandy Halbeisen; brothers, Wyatt and Nicholas Craig; stepsister, Natasha Hotz; grandparents, Thomas Fisher, Bill and Chris Binder, Cheryl Torres, Marylou and Richard Halbeisen, and Tim and Mary Craig, and great-grandparents, Ruth Gerstenberger, Judy Binder, Eloise Craig, and Bea Martin.

Visitation will be after 2 p.m. Sunday in the Mitchell-Auxter Funeral Home, Clyde. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday in Grace Lutheran Church, Fremont.

Blade staff writer Jim Sielicki contributed to this report.

Contact Meghan Gilbert at:

mgilbert@theblade.com or

419-724-6050.

First Published August 11, 2006, 11:26 a.m.