Chester County Coroner Determines Cause Of West Catholic Prep Football Player's Death

CHESTER COUNTY, PA — A West Catholic Prep football player who died in an outdoor scrimmage in July in Coatesville died of hypertensive cardiovascular disease, the Chester County Coroner's Office determined after an examination by a specialist in cardiac pathology. The youth also tested positive at the time of his death for the virus that causes COVID-19.

The Chester County Coroner's Office has determined the cause of death for Ivan James Hicks Jr., 16, of Philadelphia, to be hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

Contributing factors were cardiomegaly with fibrous scar and remodeling, obesity, and probable exposure to excessive environmental heat, according to the Coroner's statement released on Monday.

Hicks died suddenly on July 13 while at a 7-on-7 football activity in Coatesville. Immediate efforts by those at the scene and by emergency services personnel were unsuccessful in resuscitating Hicks, the Coroner said.

The Coroner's Office said specialized cardiac pathology was performed by the Jesse E. Edwards Registry of Cardiovascular Disease, an international center for cardiovascular research, education, and training. Their report concluded that while there were features of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition frequently associated with sudden death in young athletes, the diagnosis could not be definitively made or ruled out in this case.

"This tragic unexpected death of a young athlete was intensively investigated," said Chester County Coroner Dr. Christina VandePol.

"Testing included autopsy, toxicology, specialized cardiac pathology and neuropathology, and genetic testing. Key findings were an enlarged heart and a thickened heart muscle that showed scarring. Although the findings did not meet the criteria for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, they are associated with sudden cardiac death," VandePol said.

The Coroner reported toxicology was negative. "Genetic testing for 168 variants associated with cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias was also negative."

VandePol added, "Finally, the hot, humid weather conditions may have played a role, but we found no evidence of dehydration."

At the time of his death, Hicks tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the Coroner's report said.

He had received his second Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on July 7. "No evidence of COVID-19 respiratory disease was found, and cardiac examination showed no inflammation or myocarditis," the Coroner reported.

"The role, if any, that COVID-19 played in this death is therefore unknown, but in the opinion of the pathologists and the Coroner it was not a contributing factor," the Coroner's statement said.

The West Catholic Preparatory High School community mourned Hicks' death through the summer. Read that story here.

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