St. John's Catholic Prep (Md.) football coach Daryl Hayes suffered a heart attack during his team's 53-0 loss to Concordia Prep on Saturday. But despite the emergency beginning at halftime of the game, Hayes finished coaching his team and wasn't treated at a local hospital until after the game.
According to the Frederick News Post, Hayes' wife, Kelly revealed that her husband's heart attack was caused by a blood clot in one of his arteries. The blood clot was blocking an estimated 99 percent of the artery and was discovered at halftime.
Hayes was treated at the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson after the game. The blockage was cleared and Hayes had a stent put in. He was released from the hospital on Monday.
"He is lucky to be alive," Kelly Hayes said. "We really dodged a bullet. It was too close of a call for my comfort, but he made it through. That's a relief."
As the second half of Saturday's game went on, Hayes had his left arm and part of his left leg go numb due to the heart attack. However, the 48-year old head coach just wasn't leaving the sidelines to seek medical attention.
"He's a tough guy, and he loves this game. For a lot of these kids, this may be their last football game of the season," Kelly Hayes added. "It's been such a horrible year anyway, I think he just was determined to finish the game he loved. I'm just glad he survived it."
It's not the first time Hayes has had a cardiac issue. He had bypass surgery in January 2008.
"The doctors said they could tell that he was an athlete because his heart muscle was so strong and can endure a lot," Kelly Hayes said. "They're saying that there won't be any permanent damage."
Saturday's game could potentially be the final game of the season for St. John's due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The school is hoping to add more games to their schedule, but it's unclear if that will be a reality.