A 16-year-old Franklin High School football player who experienced a medical emergency on the field in August died of a heart disease, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Wednesday.
Players were running drills for the first day of practice when Leslie Noble collapsed. Temperatures were in the mid-70s that morning. Noble, who joined the varsity squad as a freshman, started 11 games for Franklin High in the 2023 season, accounting for 10 tackles and one sack.
The medical examiner determined the cause of death was cardiomegaly with biventricular hypertrophy, a condition in which the heart muscle is thicker, making it harder for it to pump blood.
More than 200 people held a vigil to honor Noble at the school’s Reisterstown campus in the days after his death, holding red, silver and black star-shaped balloons and white candles. His family members described Noble as a “big ol’ teddy bear.”
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“One thing about Leslie, he was not a downer. He was one that was really excited,” Elder Gregory Johnson, a cousin of Noble, said at the vigil. “And so, while we are here in his remembrance, we know he has left such a great legacy in his life of just 16 years.”
This story will be updated.
Clara Longo de Freitas
clara.longo@thebaltimorebanner.com
Clara Longo de Freitas is a neighborhood reporter covering East Baltimore communities. Before joining the Banner, she interned at The Baltimore Sun as an emerging news and community reporter. She also has design and illustration experience with several news organizations, including The Hill and NPR.
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