Shawnee Mission Northwest loses classmate after medical emergency

KSHB 41 reporter Alyssa Jackson covers portions of Johnson County, including Overland Park, Shawnee and Mission. If you have a story idea to share, send Alyssa an email to alyssa.jackson@kshb.com .

—

Ovet Gomez-Regalado was a sophomore on the football team at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School.

He suffered a medical emergency on Wednesday following conditioning workouts with his teammates.

Gomez Regalado was in critical condition, according to Johnson County MED-ACT, until Friday morning when he passed away.

Credit: Gomez-Regalado family

There's only a tennis court that separated a flag football team at the high school from the field where Gomez-Regalado was working out.

The kids and coaches were getting ready on Wednesday for their first flag football game of the season when they saw first responders show up.

"The fire trucks came in, and went down the edge there where it drops to the parking lot," said Thomas Mann, one of the flag football coaches. "The next thing you know, four to five firemen went in, ambulance came up five minutes later."

Mann helps coach his grandson on the flag football team.

None of them knew Gomez-Regalado, but didn't expect to get the devastating call two days later.

"We were not prepared for it; we come out here, we teach our kids." Mann said. "Our head coach this morning told me this happened, and the young kid passed away. When we left here, we didn't know what happened."

Credit: Gomez-Regalado family

The photos shared by Gomez-Regalado's family show a teenager with a spark and smile that wasn't hard to capture.

On a GoFundMe created to support expenses, a family friend shared:

"Ovet was only 15 years old and one of the kindest humans. He was always offering a huge smile with a hug. All that knew him loved him. Ovet was a sophomore and played football for SMNW. He loved hanging out with his family and friends."

Credit: Gomez-Regalado family

"It's sad; a sad day in his family's life, his school, and all the students — just sad," Mann said.

Losing the teen makes it a tough week back to school for Northwest.

"From what I know has been happening at the school today, folks are taking it hard," said David Smith, chief communication's officer for the Shawnee Mission School District. "This is someone they cared a lot about."

Credit: Gomez-Regalado family

Gomez-Regalado, at 15 years old, will be remembered as a brother, the youngest child in his family, and a football player who still has a large team behind him.

Credit: Gomez-Regalado family

Northwest High School's principal shared a message with families this morning:

Dear Shawnee Mission Northwest Staff and Families,

I am writing to share some difficult news with you. This morning, we learned of the death of Ovet Gomez Regalado, a sophomore here at Shawnee Mission Northwest, High School. As you can imagine, it has been an extremely difficult time for the family. Ovet was such a warm and wonderful student that touched the hearts of so many in our community.

Death is always difficult to handle, but particularly so when someone so young dies. It will be important to recognize that all of us will need time to process what has happened, and to express our feelings. Your child may struggle to make sense of this death. Please encourage your child to express their feelings, and be there to talk with them about what has happened.

At the same time, it is important to understand that there will be many details that we do not know. Your child will hear many different things, but please encourage them not to make guesses and spread rumors. The family will need privacy as they struggle to handle their grief, and the administration is asking everyone to respect that privacy.

School and district staff will be available to talk with anyone who is struggling to handle their emotions around this difficult issue. If your child would like to talk with someone, please encourage them to let an adult know, and we will help them.

Again, there are many questions that we cannot answer, but we can be here to support each other during this difficult time.