Washington State center Riley Sorenson made the trip to the Sun Bowl in El Paso but did not play in the game because his father suffered a heart attack before the game
Washington State center Riley Sorenson was in El Paso, Texas with his team last week and he took first team reps in practice during the week leading up to the game, but when the Cougars played Miami in the Sun Bowl on Saturday, Sam Flor took Sorenson’s place at center.
According to this GoFundMe website, as the WSU football team entered the tunnel on game day, Sorenson was informed by an assistant coach that his father, Bart Sorenson, had suffered a heart attack before entering Sun Bowl Stadium.
Bart Sorenson was taken to Providence Hospital in El Paso, where he underwent angioplasty and had three stents inserted. Still, Bart Sorenson was placed in an induced coma and doctors have indicated that he suffered severe brain damage and they don’t know if he will come out of the coma.
It’s been a tough year for the Sorensons. Riley’s mother, Karen, also had a scare in November when she was diagnosed with stage four cancer. The Sorensons are currently still in El Paso. A GoFundMe page was set up on Wednesday to help pay for the Sorensons’ expenses in El Paso. As of Wednesday evening, more than $18,000 had been raised. The Sorensons are from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.