Schools to offer counseling after a death and a collapse

Two area high schools will offer counseling today when students return to class after tragedy struck at separate weekend football games.

A 16-year-old junior lineman from Holliston High School collapsed during a scrimmage at Apponequet Regional High School Friday night in Lakeville, and was pronounced dead at a local hospital. On that same night, an 11th-grade defensive back from Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge collapsed during a scrimmage at Wayland High School and remained in intensive care yesterday at Boston Medical Center.

Michael T. Cournoyer, Holliston High School principal, said yesterday afternoon that students at his school were dealing with the death of Joseph "Joey" Larracey as best as they could.

A few dozen students, he said, took advantage of counseling services the school offered yesterday, and students continued to write messages in memory of Larracey on large sheets of paper the school hung in the hallways on Saturday. The notes will be given to Larracey's parents.

Last night, students and teammates gathered at Kamitian Field at the high school for a vigil to honor Larracey, and opened the event to the community.

"Students put it together [as a way to cope with their grief]," Cournoyer said. "They need a chance to express themselves."

Holliston High also provided support to parents, who may have been struggling to find ways to comfort their children, by bringing in a specialist on helping children and communities through grief. Maria Trozzi, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine, spoke in the auditorium and answered questions from parents and others.

Authorities continue to investigate the cause of death. Larracey collapsed after he had been struck earlier in the game. He died at Morton Hospital and Medical Center in Taunton.

In Cambridge, administrators and staff at Buckingham Browne & Nichols, a private day school, plan to hold an assembly this morning to bring the 450 high school students up to date on the condition of the football player, whom the school has not publicly identified.

The player collapsed while standing in a team huddle during the second quarter. School officials do not believe the player was struck or tackled during the game. He underwent emergency surgery Friday night at Boston Medical Center.