It was a matchup of two top teams: Cedar Grove in Dekalb County and McEachern in Cobb.
But on Sept. 8, the Friday night lights quickly went dim – as junior linebacker Joshua Walker suddenly collapsed in the first quarter of the game.
Without quick medical attention, it's entirely possible the boy would have died.
"I knew it was bad. I didn't realize it was this bad," recalled James Wombles.
Wombles is an athletic trainer with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, based at McEachern High School.
Before the game began, the coaches from Cedar Grove told the coaches at McEachern they didn't have their athletic trainer with them, so if anything did happen, the trainers would need to rush in.
Now, a month after that heroic moment, 11Alive’s Ryan Kruger asked Wombles what was going through his mind when he rushed in to help the collapsed player.
Wombles said he remembers folks being gathered around Walker – the teen was unresponsive. There was no heartbeat.
“I checked on him. He was non-responsive. Checked his airway. There was no pulse,” Wombles recalled.
The trainer said he knew he had to open up his throat, so he tilted Walker’s head back to open up the airway.
“I put my head down over his mouth and nose to see if I can feel him breathing, to see if his chest would rise. And there was neither,” Wombles said.
For three full minutes while he performed chest compressions, Wombles said he couldn't feel a pulse on the teenager.
Finally, EMT's used a defibrillator, and Walker came back to life.
“Was there a chance this teen could have died,” 11Alive asked.
“A very real chance,” Wombles answered back.
But, thanks to his immediate actions, Walker survived; he was alert and breathing when medics took him to the hospital.
Wombles said it was his first time performing CPR on a person, and he hopes he never has to do it again. But it’s also a reminder that while dangers exist on the field, there are trained staff there to keep kids safe.
Meanwhile, Walker’s coach said the teen will be fine and is recovering.
