Florida high school football player dies after collapsing during game

PORT SAINT JOE COMMUNITY WILL NEVER FORGET FRIDAY NIGHT. CHANCE GAYNER STAR FOOTBALL PLAYER FOR THE PORT SAINT JOE TIGER SHARKS COLLAPSED ON THE FIELD DURING A GAME AGAINST LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL AND WAS RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL. FELLOW TEAMMATE AND LONGTIME FRIEND, COLTON JOHNSON SAYS HE COULD SENSE SOMETHING WAS WRONG BEFORE HE EVEN GOT THE NOSE. I TURNED AROUND AND I COULD SEE MY MOM CRYING AND ONE OF OUR COACHES STARTED TEARING DOWN, BREAKING APART AND I KNEW I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG. AND THEN AFTER THE GAME WAS OVER, MY MOM WALKED ON THE FILM AND TOLD ME I WAS GONE. LATER THAT EVENING, THE TEAM ANNOUNCED GAYNOR HAD PASSED AWAY ON SATURDAY. FAMILY, FRIENDS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS GATHERED INSIDE THE HIGH SCHOOL TO GRIEVE AND REMEMBER GAYNOR TOGETHER PORT SAINT JOE PRINCIPAL SISSY GODWIN WAS AMONG THE CROWD. YES. UM CHANCE UM WAS A VERY SWEET YOUNG MAN. UM JUST HAVING WATCHED HIM GROW FROM 1/7 GRADER TO A SENIOR. UM AND THE MATURITY AND JUST THE ROLE THAT HE TOOK ON AS A LEADER HERE IN OUR SCHOOL. UM HE WAS LOVED BY ALL STUDENTS, LITTLE ELEMENTARY ALL THE WAY UP TO HIS OWN CLASSMATES AND PEERS. GODWIN SAYS SHE WILL MISS HIS SMILE THE MOST. WHEN I THINK OF CHANCE, I, I THINK MOST OF HIS SMILE. UM HE WAS VERY QUIET AND UNASSUMING. UM AND WHILE YOU MAY NOT HEAR HIM AROUND BEING LOUD, UH YOU ALWAYS COULD SEE UM HIS SWEEP SMILE FROM ACROSS THE ROOM AND, AND THAT'S WHAT I ALWAYS REMEMBER ABOUT CHANCE. HIS TEAMMATES SAY HE WAS AN AMAZING ATHLETE, BUT AN EVEN BETTER PERSON WHO SHINED THE BRIGHTEST WHEN HE WASN'T UNDER THE LIGHTS. HE WAS AMAZING FOOTBALL PLAYER, AMAZING FRIEND. HE WAS JUST A GREAT KID TO BE AROUND REAL QUIET, BUT ALWAYS MADE YOU SMILE, MADE JOKES WOULD LAUGH, REALLY CONTAGIOUS LAUGH. IT WAS JUST AN AMAZING FRIEND. GLF COUNTY SCHOOL OFFICIALS SAY THEY ARE LINING UP GRIEF COUNSELORS TO COME INTO THE SCHOOL TO HELP FOOTBALL PLAYERS, STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND STAFF DEAL WITH THIS INCREDIBLY SAD SITUATION.