3 high school players hospitalized during northern Arizona football game

Concussion, dehydration sideline 3 AZ players during football game

Three high school football players in Williams, Arizona, were hurt during one game Friday night. One player suffered a possible concussion, while two others were treated for dehydration. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz has the details.

WILLIAMS, Ariz. - Three high school football players were hospitalized during a game Friday night between Williams High School and Mayer High School.

What we know:

One Mayer player suffered a possible concussion during the third quarter and was airlifted to Flagstaff Medical Center. The game was canceled, and two other Mayer players were taken to a hospital by ambulance for dehydration.

Sylvia Vargas Andrews, a witness, described the Aug. 22 scene as scary, saying, "Seeing that kid not move, not even flinch. That was scary."

The Williams Fire Department said all three athletes are in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

Vargas Andrews believes the high elevation in Williams may have contributed to the dehydration in the two players.

Dehydration, concussion at football game serve as reminders to hydrate

A high school football game in Williams on Friday night left one player with a concussion and two others with dehydration, prompting a witness to remind athletes and parents to take Arizona's elements seriously. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz reports.

Dig deeper:

Vargas Andrews, a photojournalist and mother of two former Williams High School football players, said the players were from Mayer High School, which is at a lower elevation than Williams, and believes the change in altitude may have contributed to their dehydration.

"Their coach was just ... panicking. He was just screaming, 'We need an ambulance, where's the ambulance?'" Vargas Andrews said.

Javier Olivas, a youth sports coach for more than 15 years, said he constantly reminds parents and athletes to hydrate the day before a game, not the morning of.

"This weather out here, it's just ... you know, it's just crazy," he said.

Olivas said that keeping players safe sometimes means taking extended water breaks or even moving practices to later in the evening, as he has done with his team, practicing from 8 p.m. to midnight.