BOCA RATON — A top lacrosse matchup between nationally ranked juggernauts St. John Paul II and Benjamin was brought to a halt when Buccaneers star Jayden Vega suffered a frightening head injury Friday night.

Palm Beach County's elite were matching blow for blow when in the middle of the fourth quarter, Vega leapt sideways to try to bend a shot around Eagles goaltender Gavin Baca.

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As Eagles defenders tried to block his lane, Vega appeared to catch an unfortunate knee to the head region, according to Benjamin head coach Peter Cordrey.

"What happens is, if you go inside, you're going to get hit, and players know that going in," Cordrey said. "A slide came into him and he was falling down, so he ended up getting hit by the guy's knee. It wasn't intentional, [but] it wasn't pretty."

Vega lay unconscious as players from both teams took an immediate knee. Coaches and trainers attended to him while an ambulance was called. Vega did regain consciousness while on the field.

"Jayden, when he was coming to, he said, 'How much time is left in the game? I want to go back in,' and we were like, 'Jayden, there are much more important things,'" Cordrey said. "It's a bad concussion. He said, 'How much time?' And I said, 7:12,' -- and he goes, 'the score is seven to 12?'"

While paramedics arrived to take Vega off on a stretcher, Benjamin players moved from taking a knee to surrounding each other, arms across shoulder pads in what appeared to be a huddle of prayer.

In a heartfelt moment, St. John Paull II players came over, surrounding the Benjamin players and joining them in prayer.

"It's just a sport, and people know that, ultimately," Cordrey said.

The game concluded after the delay, and with the Eagles being handed a hefty three-minute penalty — though it bears repeating that it was not intentional — Benjamin was able to close out the match in relatively anticlimactic fashion with a 20-15 victory.

Before the freak accident, Vega had been sensational in the match, tallying nine goals to galvanize a Buccaneers comeback following a slow first quarter.

Update: Athletic director Ryan Smith has told The Post that Vega "was released from the hospital and will have a full recovery." Smith expects Vega to return to lacrosse this season.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boys lacrosse: Freak injury pauses match between Benjamin, St. John Paul