Tragedy struck Windsor High School in Hartford, Connecticut, on Tuesday, October 10. It was then that 15-year-old football player Elijah-Jay Mariano Rivera died suddenly during a football practice of a medical emergency. According to friends and fellow students at Windsor High, Rivera was a “funny,” vibrant young man.
The X (formerly Twitter) MLFootball account posted about Rivera’s passing and noted that the incident occurred despite Rivera not being engaged in high-impact drills that might have led to a fatal injury, just as tackling, at the time of his death.
The account wrote, “Tragic: High School football star Elijah-Jay Mariano Rivera passed away after losing consciousness during practice Tuesday 
Rivera was not engaged in any football drills or tackling. He was only 15 years old and had a bright future ahead.”
Tragic: High School football star Elijah-Jay Mariano Rivera passed away after losing consciousness during practice Tuesday
Rivera was not engaged in any football drills or tackling.
He was only 15 years old and had a bright future ahead. pic.twitter.com/hr5TGhMj9B
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) October 12, 2023
Rivera’s cause of death was not released, though district superintendent Terrence Hill and Mayor Trinks said that Rivera lost consciousness during practice, at a time when the team was not performing drills, and was given CPR by the coaches until emergency responders arrived. Rivera was then taken to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford. Sadly, the medical professionals were not able to save him.
Speaking to WVIT-TV, a freshman student at Windsor High School, Maria Tostarelli, commented on her classmate, saying that Rivera was “Very nice, a very funny kid, and just always brightened up whenever he walked into a room.” Tostarelli continued, saying, “So sad. Like I can’t believe this happened.”
Similarly, Rivera’s mother, Chastity Hernandez, told Hearst Connecticut Media Group, “He was an amazing kid, he always wanted to take care of others.” She continued, “He was a good son, a good brother and he was a great student.”
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Windsor High School’s football program X account, for its part, said, “Gone from our sight but never from our hearts we mourn the passing of Elijah-Jay Mariano Rivera, an amazing son, brother, athlete, student and friend. #65 Forever in our hearts. We will miss you Big Texas, Love you. This season is dedicated to you and Coach Knight #LL65 #Family”
Commenting, people said things like “We send our sincerest and deepest condolences to your team, your school, and the family of Elijah-Jay. Our thoughts are with you all during this time” and “We are thinking of you all and send our love and prayers to the entire community. He was one of our football brothers.”
Similarly, Windsor High School itself said, “We will have our crisis teams available for students and staff at Windsor High and Sage Park. As a community, we want to keep his family in our thoughts and prayers, and support them moving forward however we can.”
According to Mayor Trinks, Rivera’s peers from the team and school want to put together a service to honor him at the team’s next home game. Mayor Trinks, commenting on that idea, said, “The beautiful thing about that age group and that community is that we can learn from them.” He continued, “They’re the ones that are feeling it the most. They always, always, always rise to the occasion.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video