As Navy prepares for its upcoming rivalry game against Army, third-string quarterback Ralph "Rafi" Montalvo is fighting for his life.
Montalvo was in a single car accident near his hometown of Miami on Thanksgiving and placed in a medically induced coma at Miami-area hospital.
Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo flew to Miami last Saturday to visit Montalvo and said he was doing better, but Monday, Niumatalolo said the good news was short-lived.
"We just don't know …we just pray for him, there's nothing we can do, the doctors there are doing the best they can," Niumatalolo said. "When I went on Saturday he was doing well, he took a slight turn [for the worse] today, didn't do as well today, we continue to wait for updates."
Niumatalolo told media that Montalvo and a friend went to get something to eat Thursday evening after Montalvo's delayed flight. The friend, who was driving, turned one street too early, became disoriented and drove the car into a house at the end of a dark, foggy street. Niumatalolo said the friend also was in the hospital in a coma.
Dr. Jeff Fair, Navy's director of sports medicine, told the Baltimore Sun that Montalvo's condition is further complicated because he's struggling with an infection that's causing his blood pressure to increase.
"I think they're still pretty guarded, I think they just have to wait to see how he does, I don't know if they know how long they're going to have to keep this induced coma up, " Fair said. "He's going to be in the hospital quite awhile, I know that."
Montalvo was running the scout team until recently when he was promoted to third string and the travel squad.
"We're struggling here," Navy offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ivin Jasper said. "He's just a great kid and you hate to see something like that happen to good people. We're keeping him in our prayers. All of this happened for a reason, the good Lord has plans for him, he's going to pull through."
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