A high school football player on Long Island died Wednesday night after suffering a severe head injury during a varsity game.
Tom Cutinella, a guard/linebacker for the Shoreham-Wading River High School Wildcats, collided with an opponent from John Glenn High School and collapsed on the field about 6 p.m., Suffolk County police said.
The high school junior, 16, was taken off the field in an ambulance and rushed to Huntington Hospital where he underwent surgery, Newsday reported.
Roughly 60 people - teammates, friends and family members - filled the waiting room for the intensive-care unit, hoping for some good news on his condition. It was quiet for most of the night.
Two people fell to the ground in tears when a staff member announced that Cutinella had died.
'Our school community is truly devastated by this awful news and we all extend our deepest condolences to Tom's family and friends during this difficult time,' Steven Cohen, superintendent of the school district, said in a statement.
At the hospital, the football team's head coach, Matt Millheiser, sat alone while others cried and consoled one another, according to Newsday.
'He was a great kid,' Millheiser told the Long Island paper, before leaving the hospital.
Organizers stopped the football game in the third quarter after the injury, with Shoreham-Wading ahead 17-12.
'His health and safety is more important than any high school football game,' said Dave Shanahan, coach of John Glenn. 'And our thoughts and prayers are with his family and the entire Shoreham-Wading River team and community. I asked my team to pray for him.'
Grief counseling will be provided for students and staff for students.
'We're a small community and we're all devastated. It's always tragic when someone so young and so full of life has their life ended. It's going to be a very, very difficult road ahead from this,' said Jack Costas, a member of the school board.
Cutinella has played football for the district since he entered the high school in the ninth grade and was also on the lacrosse team. He excelled academically and is fondly remembered by his loved ones for his wonderful sense of humor.
With News Wire Services
mwalsh@nydailynews.com
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