The loss of a 17-year-old high school student who died at wrestling practice over the weekend in Massachusetts left the community in shock.
Peabody Veterans Memorial High School in Massachusetts is mourning the loss of a student-athlete.
Freddy Espinal, a 17-year-old wrestler, died last weekend after a medical emergency during a practice, The Salem News confirmed.
Espinal competed through a joint venture between Peabody Veterans Memorial and the Saugus High School wrestling team and the wrestling club RRWC.
Wayne Moda, Espinal’s wrestling coach, reflected on the late teenager’s “larger-than-life personality.”
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“I can tell you as his club and high school coach, Freddy was a larger-than-life personality on and off the mat,” Moda wrote in a social media post.
“He was passionate about his family and wrestling, which he worked incredibly hard at after falling in love with the sport his freshman year. Wrestling aside, I thoroughly enjoyed him as a person, he genuinely made me laugh with his antics and he was committed to his teammates and friends.”
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Brooke Randall, the high school’s principal, informed students and faculty members of Espinal’s sudden death Sunday night. Randall described Espinal as a “kind” human being.
“He was a kind, young man,” Randall told Boston.com. “He was a talented student-athlete and had an infectious smile.”
The Peabody Football Boosters said Espinal will remain in their hearts.
“Forever a beloved teammate, wonderful friend and a member of the Tanner Football Family,” the group of community supporters wrote in a Facebook message. “Freddy will be missed terribly by all of us and always in our hearts.”
Prior to wrestling, Espinal was a youth football player. He played high school football his freshman and sophomore years.
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