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Whitman-Hanson players praised for emergency response after referee collapsed

HANSON, Mass. — There were frightening moments under the Friday night lights at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School’s home game when a referee collapsed on the field, but two student athletes knew exactly what to do and didn’t hesitate to jump in.

When the referee fell to the ground face first in the middle of the game, trained paramedics in the stands jumped into action and brought his low pulse up to good speed by administering a sternum rub.

“It was a really scary moment,” said Whitman-Hanson Athletic Director Robert Rodgers. “The entire stadium went dead silent and all the thoughts were to [the referee] and hoping he was going to be ok.”

Meantime, two players – senior captain Ethan Phelps and sophomore Jack Sweeny – knew the drill and both sprinted to get ahold of the school’s automated external defibrillator (AED) machines.

As student athletes, they're trained in emergency response, but they never thought they would need to use the skills in real-life. 
 
"I just knew what to do," said Phelps. "I think if anyone knew what to do they would do the same exact thing I did."

Rodgers said this is exactly why the student athletes are trained.

“All of our teams and all of our sports go through this emergency response training,” Rodgers said. “They know one of the most important things we have to have at the scene is the AED which is the defibrillator you would use in the event there is no pulse.”

Rodgers said he consulted with the Whitman and Hanson fire departments before laying out the training. Since then, every sports team is trained on emergency response every year.

“The same thing happened to my grandfather in the airport when I was with him,” Phelps said. “The defibrillator saved his life, so I knew that would save [the referee’s] life too.”

The AED machines were never used on the referee and are only administered by professionals, not the students.

The referee is expected to make a full recovery.

>>RELATED: Referee in stable condition after collapsing at Whitman-Hanson football game