SAN ANTONIO — Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in young athletes. It’s not something athletic trainers can prevent, but they are prepared for it.

“If we’re having anyone that’s having breathing issues, we have a pulse oximeter,” said Chad Sutherland.

Sutherland has been the head athletic trainer at MacArthur High School for two decades. He gets emergency bags ready for practices and games.

“The most important one is the AED that we always take out there,” Sutherland said.

Grabbing the defibrillator is a must.

“I had to use it and save a young man’s life,” Sutherland said.

Six years ago, Sutherland and the football coaches sprang into action when a player collapsed during practice from sudden cardiac arrest.

“Definitely a lifesaver,” Sutherland said. “First and only time I’ve had to use it. And hopefully it’s the only time I will have to use it.”

That player survived because of the AED, a memory he relived when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field.

“Fortunately we’re trained and we maintain all our certifications so we able to do these things,” Sutherland said.

The American College of Sports Medicine says one in 50,000 to 80,000 young athletes die from sudden cardiac arrest each year. Certified mental performance coach Lyn McDonald says reaction to the medical emergency became traumatic for any player who saw it.

“They’re athletes, but first of all, they are human,” McDonald said. “And they have emotions and experiences and they respond the same way to trauma as we do.”

Thankfully, Hamlin was released from the hospital just nine days after his heart stopped on the field. McDonald said his miraculous recovery made it easier for players to move forward.

“The more that we can support that emotional health of an athlete, ironically, they perform better also,” McDonald said.

McDonald says that unforgettable Monday night football game was a hard reset, forcing parents and students to reexamine if, physically and mentally, sports are for them.

“That old agitate that you just tough it out, maybe that’s not quite right,” McDonald said.