Spruce Creek High School football player alert and out of ICU following cardiac arrest at practice

By MARK WILLIAMS For NSBNEWS.net

PORT ORANGE -- A Spruce Creek High School football player is on the road to recovery after being hit hard during football practice earlier this week and going into cardiac arrest

Jordan Petersen, 17, collided with another player during practice late Tuesday afternoon. Authorities said he got up, took a couple of steps and collapsed.

He was rushed to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach were doctors placed him in a medically induced coma.

On the field of play, off-duty Port Orange police officer Joe Rhodes, who is also an assistant varsity coach, preformed CPR while the school’s athletic director used a defibrillator to get Petersen’s heart started.

Since being admitted to Halifax early Tuesday evenin, the teen's condition has been upgraded from critical to good, but remains in the hospital’s intensive care unit.

Check out more regional news items from multi-media journalist Mark Williams at halifaxareanewswatch.com