Pa. high school football player battling for life has taken ‘positive step’

A day after saying they needed a miracle and asking people to pray, the family of a Pennsylvania high school football player who collapsed on the field Friday provided a positive update Monday.

In a social media post shared to the Karns City Football page, senior quarterback Mason Martin’s mother, Stacy King Martin, said the family has heard “a lot of questions concerning Mason’s condition.”

“Within the last 24 hours Mason has demonstrated some purposeful movement in his arms,” she wrote. “His eyes have slightly reacted to light. He is also retracting his legs when his toes are pinched. His lung has completely recovered and his chest tube has been removed.”

Sad news: Mason Martin, a high school quarterback, had to be airlifted to the hospital in critical condition after collapsing on the field during a game, suffering a significant brain bleed and a collapsed lung, his family said.

Referee Mike Vasbinder stopped the game between… pic.twitter.com/hs8J7hWLdu

— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) September 4, 2023

She said the family was “waiting to give a social media update at the end of the week knowing he will have more tests and changes throughout the week.”

But, she said, the family “wanted to clear up any rumors now.”

“This is the first positive step in an extremely long journey,” she wrote. “The prayer vigils held at the hospital and at Karns City have overwhelmed us with joy and motivation. We ask for your continued prayers and support.”

Martin collapsed during the third quarter of Friday’s game with Redbank Valley and was flown to Pittsburgh’s UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. The family told KDKA on Saturday that he suffered a “significant brain bleed as well as a collapsed lung.”

Martin scored his team’s only touchdown in Friday’s game. According to D9Sports.com, he had just played a defensive series and went out on the field as part of the kick return team when the head official, identified as Mike Vasbinder, said he saw the player “wobble and sway.”

The report said that Vasbinder said he asked Martin if he was OK, and the player responded, “No,” before he fell to the turf.

Vasbinder told the site that Martin was everyone’s “number one priority here.”

“Nothing else matters,” he said.

“I was just amazed by the way they all handled it,” he added. “Thank the Lord they got him out of here and to the hospital as quickly as they did.”

A prayer vigil was held Sunday at 7 p.m. at Diehl Stadium. Monday’s news marked a significant change for Martin.

Continue to pray for Mason Martin, his loved ones, and the entire @KC_GremlinFball community ????????

If you would like to send Mason and his family a card, ⬇️⬇️ https://t.co/kBqaJABVkf

— Moon Area Football (@Moon_Football) September 4, 2023

“The truth is we need a miracle,” a post from his mother shared by his team on social media earlier Sunday read. “I’m not saying that to sound grim, but to let you know that we need the strength of your prayers. No one believes in this kid more than us, but he needs everyone’s strength and prayers.”

“So please pray the way he has always played the game, all out holding nothing back, maybe a little angry, definitely aggressive,” she wrote. “We will keep you all updated if anything changes.”