Patrolman John Armstrong '94 and Firefighter Mark Copithorne '90 are part of a team of heroes. Read their story below then find out about their Mansfield High School Football careers at the bottom of the page.

Child pulled from pool

BY MICHAEL GELBWASSER/SUN CHRONICLE STAFF (From the Sun Chronicle Website 7/16/06)
MANSFIELD -- Police and firefighters called to an East Mansfield home Saturday morning managed to revive a toddler who had apparently fallen into his family's swimming pool

Someone had already pulled the 20-month-old boy from the above-ground pool, which has an attached deck, and brought him in the house at 24 Northridge Road, before Patrolmen John Armstrong and Dave Kinnehan arrived, shortly after 9:09 a.m. fire Lt. Robert Merritt said.
It was unclear how the child got into the pool, or who pulled him out, Merritt said. The boy's mother and aunt were home at the time. Their names were not available Saturday night. However, a Mansfield street list lists an Angel and Michael Landy living there.

Armstrong and Kinnehan performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and cleared the water from his lungs before firefighters arrived, Merritt said.

Merritt and Firefighters Mark Copithorne, Keith Thomas, Mike Devine and Bruce Brassard managed to get the toddler breathing slightly and restored his pulse.

Merritt said such conditions are `` very, very stressful'' for firefighters, `` especially when it involves a child.''
The little boy showed `` remarkable'' vital signs by the time he reached Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, where a Mansfield ambulance had taken him, Merritt said.

He was later taken to Hasbro Children's Hospital in Pawtucket for further evaluation.

`` Things were looking good at that time. The child was doing well,'' Merritt said.

Calls to the Landrys were not returned by press time.

The accident happened on a popular day for swimming. Attleboro reached 90 degrees.

The last local drowning in a swimming pool was on June 5, 2005, in Wrentham.

Karim Jaber, 3, and his twin brother, Akram, were playing in the back yard of their Madison Avenue home, waiting for their mother to arrive home with the son she had given birth to the night before, when the accident occurred.

Their grandmother lost sight of the toddlers briefly.

Minutes later, Karim was found at the bottom of the family's above-ground pool. Akram was found clinging by his hands to the pool's edge.

Mansfield tot's family pays visit to his rescuers

BY MICHAEL GELBWASSER/SUN CHRONICLE STAFF (from the Sun Chronicle Website, 7/30/06)
MANSFIELD -- A smiling red-headed toddler bounced around the North Main Street fire station Saturday morning, giving hugs and sitting in the trucks.

Firefighters and police had never seen anyone like 20month-old Michael Landy Jr.
Exactly two weeks ago Saturday, Michael nearly drowned in his family's aboveground swimming pool at 24 Northridge Road.

He had gotten away from his aunt, who was watching him, said his mother, Angel Landy.

The boy was in the water for five to six minutes before his aunt found him and brought him into the kitchen, she said.

Such accidents often end tragically.
But Michael beat the odds because his mother began cardiopulmonary resuscitation immediately, before Mansfield Police Officers John Armstrong and Dave Kinahan took over, followed by fire Lt. Robert Merritt,Firefighter/Paramedics Keith Thomas and Mark Copithorne, and Firefighters Mike Devine and Bruce Brassard.

Michael was breathing slightly and his pulse was restored by the time he reached Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro.

He spent six days in the intensive care unit at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence before coming home on July 21, the 11th birthday of his sister Andrea, Mrs. Landy said.

Saturday, Michael showed absolutely no ill effects of his accident as his parents brought cake and Greek food, including baklava, to the fire station to thank the rescuers.

Angel Landy deserves credit as well, firefighters and police said.

`` If she hadn't started CPR, we probably wouldn't be here,'' Thomas said.

`` Everything you go through makes it all worthwhile when you see a little kid like that.''

Thomas said it was the first happy ending to a youngster drowning story he had participated in since becoming a paramedic in 1995.

The other times, `` the child didn't survive, or was basically in a vegetative state,'' he said.

Thomas was so happy on Saturday that he pinned an angel with a firefighter's hat on the toddler.

`` I've actually been carrying it in my fire coat, but I want him to have it,'' Thomas said.

Angel Landy said she was trained to do CPR for her job; she is a toddler teacher at the Foxboro branch of the Hockomock Area YMCA.

She said she was starting her day when she heard her sister-in-law screaming about `` my little spitfire.''

`` He was blue. I started CPR. It was horrible. I don't know how I kept it together,'' Angel Landy said.

`` If you have children, get CPR training. You never know if you're going to use it.''

Armstrong said he, Kinahan and Officer Richard Coughlin were on patrol, about four miles away, when the 911 call came.

`` We get a lot of calls about babies not breathing, but before we get there, they end up breathing on their own,'' Armstrong said.

This situation was different.

Armstrong said he cleared the toddler's airways while Kinahan performed chest compressions and Coughlin, the officer in charge, calmed Angel Landy down.

Armstrong said he was operating on adrenaline and instinct.

Kinahan said the crisis hit home for him because he has two children, ages 2 months and 2 1/2 years.

`` I'm just really glad he made a full recovery. That's my satisfaction,'' Kinahan said.

When the firefighters arrived, Thomas put a breathing tube in the toddler's windpipe and put a heart monitor on him.

Thomas said Copithorne injected the boy with epinephrine to speed up his heart rate.

The effort further improved the boy's vital signs -- impressing even his doctors at the hospital.

`` I'm telling you, they were calling him the “Miracle Baby in 246'' Angel Landy said.

Heroes Honored. See Photos

Now a word about these two heroes

Mark Copithorne, Mansfield High Class of 1990:

Mark Copithorne moved to Mansfield from Dedham during the late 1980's and immediately found a home on the Mansfield Football team. As a junior during the 1988 season Copithorne was the team's second leading receiver with 24 receptions for 286 yds and scoring 8 points for the 2-7-1 Hornets. He recorded 6 tackles on defense. During the remainder of his junior year he answered Coach Redding's challenge that championships are won by tough physical conditioning and keen mental preparation in the off- season. Time spent in the weight room earned him a starting job as the #2 halfback in Mansfield's recently implemented Wing T offense. The 6'0', 180 lb Copithorne was a key contributor to the 1989 Hockomock League Champion Mansfield Hornets. Copithorne was the third leading rusher on the team with 50 carries for 258 yards and two rushing touchdowns. He benefited from Redding's implementation of the Wing T. As a receiver out of the backfield, he was the favorite target of Quarterback Tony Scarpellini with a team high 31 pass receptions for 494 yds and scoring 8 TD's. He was the second leading scorer on the team with 60 points.

Perhaps his greatest contribution to the hornets was his play on defense at cornerback. I know first hand. The only time I've ever been knocked out in my entire life was from a hit by Copithorne while I was playing scrub offense as a sophomore during practice of the 1989 football season. The 1989 team recorded 6 shutouts and only two teams scored more than a touchdown against Mansfield's superb defense. Copithorne had a big part in that defense. He was the fifth leading tackler on the team with 53 tackles and had a team and record high 9 interceptions. Mansfield totaled a record 23 interceptions that season (more than two per game) and the secondary only allowed opposing offenses an average 51 yards passing per game and only three passing TD's the entire season.

Copithorne was twice the Mansfield Defensive Player of the Week, a 6-0 victory over Stoughton and a 28-0 victory over Sharon. He was named to the All-Hockomock League Football Team as a Wide Receiver, All-Sun Chronicle Area Football Team as a Defensive Back, and Boston Globe 1st Team All-Scholastic as a Defensive Back. After high school Copithorne attended Plymouth State College where he played Defensive Back for this Division III team.

John Armstrong, Mansfield High Class of 1994:

John Armstrong grew up in Mansfield beginning football on the Pop Warner A team during 8th grade in 1989. He played various positions from Tight End to Quarterback and Defensive End on the Mansfield Freshman Team in 1990. His sophomore season was cut short by strong bouts with asthma. He overcame this condition and earned a starting job during his junior year at Defensive End opposite Jamie Sullivan on the Hockomock And Superbowl Champion 1992 team. Armstrong recorded 18 tackles, caused two fumbles, recovered a fumble, had one interception and was second on the team in sacks with 6. He also scored 2 points on a conversion reception. He was a Mansfield Scholar-Athlete for the 1992 season. For his efforts and leadership he was named as one of the team captains for the 1993 season.

At 6'3", 195 lbs and a 4.65 40 yard dash time Armstrong was a real threat as an outside pass rusher. He recorded 40 tackles, caused a fumble, recovered a fumble and was tied with a team high five sacks. Though Mansfield struggled against very tough competition during the first half of the 1993 season (their four losses were against opponents with a combined record of 35-6) Armstrong was key to a defense that held opponents to a total of 48 points during the 1st half of all ten games. They held 11-0 Hockomock Champion North Attleboro to 124 yards of total offense, North's season low. The second half of the 1993 season was a real success as Mansfield went 4-1 scoring defensive shutouts against Oliver Ames and Foxboro while the Mansfield Offense came alive to the tune of 164 points. As the #2 Tight End during two tight end formations Armstrong had seven receptions for 136 yds, nearly 20 yards per reception and scored two TD's and a 2 pt. conversion pass. He was 6th on the team in scoring with 14 points for the season.

After high school Armstrong improved his strength and speed. At 6'3", 210 lbs and bench pressing 345 lbs he went on to start three seasons at outside linebacker for Division II Sacred Heart University. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice in 1998.