Leading off today: The New York City medical examiner's office will determine the cause of death for Loyola School sophomore Thomas Jakelich, who died following a collision with another player during a boys varsity soccer game Monday on Randall's Island.
Jakelich, a 16-year-old Bronxville resident, was hospitalized with internal bleeding following what initially appeared to be an unremarkable collision during the game against United Nations International School. He needed to be helped from the field moments later , and an examination at Harlem Hospital determined his liver had been lacerated.
Jakelich was operated on several times before he was pronounced dead around 11 p.m., the teen's family told The Daily News.
The Daily News reported Jakelich was a recent transfer to Loyola, an Upper East Side private school that is part of the New York State Association of Independent Schools.
"For a boy who came to the school only weeks ago, he really left an impact," said Samantha Hanley, Loyola's vice president for advancement.
School President Tony Oroszlany issued this statement:
"As a school community, we mourn the tragic loss of Thomas Jakelich and offer our prayers and deepest condolences to his family. Out of respect for the privacy of Thomas' loved ones and that of our students, we offer no other comment beyond our profound sadness at the loss of a beloved member of the Loyola School family."
Rick Newman described his stepson as a compassionate kid who looked out for his friends and family.
"He was quiet and cautious as a child. As a soccer player he was aggressive, and as a person he was remarkably charismatic," he said.
This is at least the fifth straight year in which at least one New York athlete has died in a high school game or practice activity.
Last fall, Shoreham-Wading River football player Tom Cutinella, a 16-year-old junior guard and linebacker, died after he collided with an opponent and collapsed during a game. Authorities said Cutinella died from his head injury after undergoing surgery.
On Sept. 1, Curtis High junior lineman Miles Kirkland-Thomas collapsed after wind sprints during a Labor Day practice and later died at a Staten Island hospital.
Last March, New Paltz sophomore Kyle Brewer, 16, died after suffering two heart attacks triggered by an undetected heart condition. He was initially stricken and collapsed during track and field practice at the school.
In September 2013, Brocton junior Damon Janes, 16, died three days after collapsing during a Section 6 football game. His death was the sixth ever in Western New York high school football and the first there since Mike Dwyer of Olean Archbishop Walsh in 1977.
Ronan Guyer, a 14-year-old Southold freshman, died in November 2012 five days after being placed in a medically induced coma. While scouting the course to be used the following day at the NYSPHSAA cross country championships at Elma Meadows, Guyer slipped on a muddy area and fell on his chest, triggering cardiac arrest.
