Peabody Veterans Memorial High School in Massachusetts is mourning the loss of a student-athlete.
Freddy Espinal, a 17-year-old wrestler, died last weekend after a medical emergency during a practice, The Salem News confirmed.
Espinal competed through a joint venture between Peabody Veterans Memorial and the Saugus High School wrestling team and the wrestling club RRWC.
Wayne Moda, Espinal’s wrestling coach, reflected on the late teenager’s “larger-than-life personality.”
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“I can tell you as his club and high school coach, Freddy was a larger-than-life personality on and off the mat,” Moda wrote in a social media post.
“He was passionate about his family and wrestling, which he worked incredibly hard at after falling in love with the sport his freshman year. Wrestling aside, I thoroughly enjoyed him as a person, he genuinely made me laugh with his antics and he was committed to his teammates and friends.”
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Brooke Randall, the high school’s principal, informed students and faculty members of Espinal’s sudden death Sunday night. Randall described Espinal as a “kind” human being.
“He was a kind, young man,” Randall told Boston.com. “He was a talented student-athlete and had an infectious smile.”
The Peabody Football Boosters said Espinal will remain in their hearts.
“Forever a beloved teammate, wonderful friend and a member of the Tanner Football Family,” the group of community supporters wrote in a Facebook message. “Freddy will be missed terribly by all of us and always in our hearts.”
Prior to wrestling, Espinal was a youth football player. He played high school football his freshman and sophomore years.
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