Ashari Hughes dies after Desert Oasis High School flag football

A 16-year-old girl collapsed and died after suffering a medical emergency during a high school flag football game in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sophomore Ashari Hughes, 16, who played for Desert Oasis High School, collapsed around 7:30 p.m. Thursday after a home game against Valley High School, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. She was hospitalized and died later that night, the newspaper said.

The tragic episode unfolded just three days after Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed after suffering cardiac arrest during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals that was watched by millions. Hamlin is now “awakened” and showing “tremendous improvement,” according to officials.

Despite heroic efforts, the 16-year-old student from Nevada could not be saved.

Hughes collapsed Thursday night after playing a home game at Desert Oasis High School.troda.hughes/Facebook Hughes was hospitalized and died later that night, according to reports.troda.hughes/Facebook

Registered nurse Aphelia Phifer-Hill posted on Facebook Thursday night that she rushed to the field to perform CPR on the girl, who was her daughter’s teammate, the Review-Journal reported.

“Today was the first time ever in my 26 years of nursing that I had to perform CPR on a child,” she wrote.

Phifer-Hill wrote that the teenager collapsed after the game and “everyone was panicking” amid the cold and rainy weather, the newspaper reported, adding that Phifer-Hill tried chest compressions and used an external defibrillator.

Registered nurse Aphelia Phifer-Hill posted on Facebook Thursday night that she rushed to the field to perform CPR on Ashari Hughes. Google Maps “Today was the first time in my 26 years of nursing that I had to perform CPR on a child,” wrote Phifer-Hill.troda.hughes/Facebook

“Her family wasn’t at the game but finally arrived,” the post continued. “We were able to get a heartbeat.” Phifer-Hill said the teenager was hospitalized and intubated before she eventually died, the Review-Journal reported. Her post was apparently deleted after the report was published.

The fallen 16-year-old was remembered Friday for her love of sports.

The girl’s parents, Enttroda and Twayne Hughes, said in a statement: “She loved music, dancing and being around all the people she loved… She called soccer the true love of her life!”

Desert Oasis director Ian Salzman asked parents to be aware of how grief manifests in their children. Google Maps

An online fundraiser for Ashari Hughes’ funeral costs was posted Friday afternoon and raised more than $2,000 in two hours. The total surpassed $21,000 of the $50,000 goal as of Saturday morning.

In an email Friday to the school community, Desert Oasis Principal Ian Salzman asked parents to be aware of how grief manifests in children and to seek services if they need counseling or support.