OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX/Gray News) – A Mississippi high school football player had a scary and surreal weekend after collapsing during his football game on Friday night, WLOX reports.

“I was coming off the field, and the next thing I know, I’m stumbling, then I wake up on the ground,” sophomore Eric Johnson said. “I was confused, and they rushed me into the back of an ambulance. He’s talking me through what we’re going to do, and I’m just scared for my life. I don’t know what’s going on.”

It’s something you never want to see at a high school football game.

“We get out on the field trying to figure out what’s going on. Our athletic trainer was there immediately, so was Harrison Central’s and the EMTs,” Ocean Springs head football coach Jake Bramlett said. “They handled everything professionally and at a very high rate of speed. They got everything taken care of pretty quickly and got him responsive and on an ambulance.”

Eric said at that point, it was fear and confusion. He said he’s always had an irregular heartbeat but that it has never been an issue while playing football until now.

“They were telling me something happened with my heart, but they weren’t sure what it was. So they ran tests and said there was a shock in it, and that’s why I passed out. So we’re lucky it wasn’t a cardiac arrest,” Eric said.

Eric said it was a very scary experience, and he’s still trying to process everything. He said he’s also extremely thankful to everyone who helped him in his time of need.

“I wasn’t expecting everyone to know about it, then my mom told me it was on TV, so I knew then that everyone would know. I just give thanks to those who helped me and prayed for me because without that, I wouldn’t be here right now,” he said.

Eric rejoined his classmates at school on Monday.

“If I can make it through this, I’m good,” he said.

Eric plans on undergoing more testing to identify the issue and get it treated. Along with being a football player, he also excels in the classroom with a 3.75 GPA.

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