Prep Player Dies After Head Injury

Freddy Mendoza rushed to lead his McFarland High football team onto the field last Friday night against Reedley Immanuel.

Half an hour later, Mendoza took a severe hit to the head while attempting a block on a kickoff return. He then collapsed on the sideline, slipped into a coma that night and died Sunday after his family decided to take him off life-support systems.

The 17-year-old senior, who had been rushed to nearby Bakersfield Memorial Hospital after he collapsed Friday, suffered a blood clot in the brain, according to a coroner’s report released Monday.

Mendoza, a team captain and two-year starting strong safety, missed the second half of a Sept. 27 game against Fowler after complaining of a hard hit to the head. The Kern County coroner’s office is unsure whether one hit or a series of hits caused the brain clot.

“Everyone is pointing to the Fowler game and saying that Freddy shouldn’t have played again so soon,” said Robert Hadfield, McFarland’s coach. “As a coach, I did everything to make sure Freddy was OK. I asked him how he was feeling and told him to see a doctor if he had headaches. He had a normal week of practice and was charged up before the game against Immanuel.”

In Friday’s game, Hadfield said Mendoza lowered his head while preparing for a block late in the first quarter. Instead, he was hit in the head and knocked off his feet. He got up and walked to the sideline. When Hadfield looked to his side, he saw Mendoza crouching with his head down.

“He asked me to help him up,” Hadfield said. “At that point, I called for the paramedics on duty and they escorted him to the ambulance on the field. The referees then resumed the game and the ambulance drove off.”

Mendoza, 5 feet 8, 150 pounds, asked the ambulance attendants not to take him away, saying he wanted to get back in the game.

“He was lying down shaking, saying ‘No, I want to play. I want to play,’ ” said teammate John Connelly. “I tried to grab his foot and calm him down. All of a sudden his feet stopped moving and his arms stopped moving.”

Mendoza fell unconscious on his way to the hospital and was immediately put on life-support systems.

School officials held an assembly Monday morning to inform students of Mendoza’s death and offer support to those who needed it. There will be a memorial at the school Wednesday. McFarland, 30 miles north of Bakersfield, has 560 students in four grades.

Hadfield called Mendoza the heart of the team: “He had more energy than anyone. He also was a practical joker. When I was preparing the team roster for the program, Freddy asked me who the tallest and heaviest players on the team were. After I told him, he asked me to give him those sizes (6-2, 220) in the program. I abided, and it was kind of our little secret.”

Hadfield said the team voted to cancel Friday’s game against Woodlake. Players said they want to attend Thursday’s rosary and Friday’s funeral and not worry about getting ready for a game. They also plan to hold fund-raisers for the family. Mendoza is survived by his mother, Eva Muniz; stepfather, Lupe Muniz; older sister, Minerva Mendoza, and older brother, Johnny Mendoza.