An eighth-grader in West Virginia died Saturday from injuries sustained during a football practice, just three days after the first day of school.

Cohen Craddock, 13, a student at Madison Middle School, suffered a head injury while practicing with his team, the Redhawks, on Friday and was taken to a hospital where he died on Saturday, the Boone County EMS said.

Ryan Craddock, Cohen’s father, told NBC News on Tuesday that his son collided with other children, fell and hit his head when he fell.

“This caused brain swelling, which caused a snowball effect that ultimately led to his death,” Craddock said.

Now Craddock wants to raise awareness about better safety protocols for young athletes, and he wants his son’s teammates to use Guardian Caps – touted as “shock-absorbing softshell helmet covers” that provide an extra layer of protection for the head.

“I think with the Guardian Cap, there could have been a slightly different outcome,” Craddock said. “And I want to at least protect all the other kids that I can, starting at the district level, if I can take it to the state or federal level, to get those kids to at least wear Guardian Caps at practice or however far they want to take it.”

He said he had been in contact with the founders of Guardian Caps and they were willing to help.

“I just think if it saves another family the heartache that my family is going through right now, it will all be worth it,” Craddock said. “I know Cohen would want that too. And he wouldn’t want me to wait or delay it.”

Craddock remembered his son as a “Mr. Personality” with a “heart of gold” who was loved by everyone around him and enjoyed going to church.

“He was very, very smart. He excelled at math, loved technical things and was very good with electronics and computers,” Craddock said, noting that Cohen hoped to become a computer engineer.

“As a father, I couldn’t have been prouder,” he added.

Boone County Schools Superintendent Matthew Riggs said in a statement to NBC affiliate WSAZ of Huntington: “As a Redhawk, Cohen was loved by his classmates, his teachers, his principals and the entire Madison Middle School staff.”

“Cohen was also a member and leader of the Redhawks football team. … Our thoughts and prayers are with Cohen’s family, friends, teammates, classmates and the entire MMS staff. As our thoughts and prayers are with Cohen’s family, we ask the community to do the same so that his family can find healing, comfort, protection and strength.”

Cohen’s death has left the entire community feeling a sense of loss, with surrounding counties posting condolences on social media.

Shann Elkins, principal of Madison Middle School, which teaches 450 students in grades 6 through 8, thanked the public in a statement for the “outpouring of love, support, kindness and caring expressed by so many people across the state, region and country.”

“It was overwhelming and comforting during this time of heartbreak. We want everyone to know that Cohen was a wonderful, polite and smart young man who was an important part of our school family,” Elkins added.

The Boone County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Saturday: “Today we are all Madison Middle School Redhawks and our hearts are heavy with the unimaginable loss of a bright young athlete in our community.

Craddock described the support his family has received as “overwhelming.”

“I didn’t know that he actually touched so many people. Just his presence, his behavior, his personality – it made everyone happy,” he said. “It fills me with great humility that my 13-year-old son is receiving this recognition.”

Cohen’s death is the latest tragedy for a young student-athlete.

In Alabama, 16-year-old high school quarterback Caden Tellier died after being tackled and hit in the head during a football game on Friday. The state medical examiner will rule on the cause of death. Dallas County Medical Examiner William Dailey said the preliminary finding is that Tellier’s death was due to an internal brain hemorrhage caused by the fall.

This month alone, there have been a number of other football-related deaths.

In Virginia, Jayvion Taylor collapsed before dying on Aug. 5 during a football practice at Hopewell High School, about 24 miles south of downtown Richmond, authorities said. Meanwhile, in Missouri, second-grader Ovet Gomez-Regalado died on Aug. 16 during a preseason practice at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, about 12 miles southwest of downtown Kansas City.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com.