Reporter: Alex Orenczuk
•8/7/2026
CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — A new Florida requirement for first-time high school athletes is putting heart screenings in the spotlight after an EKG helped uncover a potentially life-threatening condition in a 15-year-old Charlotte County soccer player.
Jacob Mauger, an incoming freshman at Lemon Bay High School, has played soccer since he was 8. He had never experienced dizziness, fainting or trouble breathing and had no reason to believe anything was wrong with his heart.
RELATED: New Florida athlete screening requirement catches hidden heart condition
Then, in February, a three-minute EKG screening revealed Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a condition in which an extra electrical pathway in the heart can cause an abnormally fast heartbeat and, in rare cases, cardiac arrest.
“It was devastating - I didn’t want to do anything,” Jacob said.
His mother, Laura Mauger, said doctors told her the condition could have caused her son to collapse on the soccer field.
“100%. He could have, they told me he could have dropped dead on the field,” Laura said.
Doctors confirmed the diagnosis and corrected the abnormal electrical pathway through an ablation procedure on May 29.
Just weeks later, Jacob was cleared to return to soccer. He was back on the field by June 14, training as a goalkeeper and pursuing his dream of eventually playing professionally.
“It was the happiest day of my life,” Jacob said.
The Maugers said the experience showed them why cardiac screening can be important for young athletes.
“If this law wasn't in place, we would have never known there was something wrong with Jacob,” Laura said.
Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, Florida requires students in grades 9-12 to complete at least one EKG before participating in interscholastic athletics, with certain exemptions.
The requirement is part of a broader effort to identify heart conditions that may not be apparent during a routine physical examination.
Dr. Eric Eason, medical director of pediatric cardiology at Golisano Children's Hospital, said a medical history and physical examination alone may identify about 20% of conditions that can cause sudden cardiac arrest.
Adding an EKG can increase detection to about 70% to 80%, Eason said.
“By doing all these EKGs and detecting these kids that do have disease, you’re able to do something about it before they have a cardiac arrest,” Eason said.
The need for screening is particularly important because some young people with potentially dangerous heart conditions may have no symptoms.
Who We Play For says 80% of youth who experience sudden cardiac arrest have no symptoms beforehand. The groiup estimates about one in 300 young people is living with an undetected heart condition that puts them at risk for sudden cardiac arrest.
For Jacob, the screening ultimately gave him a chance to address a condition he never knew he had — and get back to the sport he loves.
“It means the world to me,” Jacob said. “If I wasn't playing it, I don't know what I would do in life.”
His goal is to continue improving and eventually play at the professional level, either in Major League Soccer or in Europe’s Premier League.
Jacob also has a message for other young athletes who may be nervous about what an EKG could find.
“It’s worth it,” he said. “Don’t be scared. You have to overcome your fears.”
