High school cheerleader collapses and dies on the sideline during football game

A football game between Los Angeles high school football rivals turned tragic when a cheerleader collapsed on the sideline and died.

Angela Gettis was briefly revived after passing out Friday at Fremont High School, according to LA Unified School District spokesman Tom Waldman. 

The top student and member of the Reserve Officer Training Corp, who planned to go to college to study forensic sicence, was rushed to a hospital where she died about three hours later.

Miss Gettis, a student at Washington Prep High School, apparently suffered sudden cardiac arrest, Mr Waldman said.

Washington Prep Principal Todd Ullah told KABC-TV that the girl was a good student and a leader on campus.

School district Superintendent John Deasy said Saturday that Miss Gettis was ‘a wonderful young lady.'

Mr Deasy said: It is a catastrophic loss for the school and for the community. My heart goes out to her family.'

Angela Kirkindoff, the girl's aunt said: 'I just want people to remember the heart she had. She was very kind.'

A witness, Cameron Bonner, told City News Service the Washington Prep squad tied the game against Fremont in the fourth quarter when the cheerleader collapsed.

Play was stopped as coaches and trainers ran to help the girl.

Mr Bonner said: 'They had just tied the game up, and the cheerleaders were pumped up.'

He added that she appeared ‘to just pass out.'

Bystanders performed CPR while waiting for paramedics to arrive.

'All of her friends were in a circle crying,' Mr Bonner said.

Crisis counsellors will be at Washington Prep on Monday to help students and faculty deal with the death, Deasy said.

An autopsy has been scheduled to find the exact cause of death.

Source: dailymail.co.uk