In an unseen turn of events, three starting Varsity football players were injured while attending practice and the first game of the season against the Georgia Force Varsity football team. These injuries have forced younger players to step up as the injured have had to sit out while recovering
Sophomore quarterback Mikey Kreigbaum sustained a dislocated kneecap while running drills at practice. Doctors reset and iced it, however, it is susceptible to another injury.
“Once I dislocate my knee, it is easy to do it again and again, so I have a brace that keeps it in place,” said Kriegbaum.
The team has managed these casualties well so far, with players pushing themselves to step up to the plate. Senior Gavin Redd was hit hard in the game at Georgia Force and suffered a mild concussion. He has already been cleared to play.
“I think [the confidence level of the team] is pretty high,” said Redd. “It is just ‘next man up.’ We have Mikey and Thomas. They are both switching off injuries. There is a lot of talent on the team ready to switch off fast.”
“I think we have handled [the injuries] pretty well,” said senior Nemo Johanson. “There is definitely a lot of energy that needs to be brought out onto the field with players being out myself included.”
Quarterback and sophomore Thomas Lubben broke his collarbone in the rivalry game with Georgia Force. Lubben will be out for six weeks with a sling until his collarbone heals.
“I was very sad,” said Lubben. “I worked all summer and all last year for this, and it was very sad to know that I won’t be able to play for six weeks. If I do get back, I won’t be at my full strength. ”
All of these injuries have forced the team to be more flexible and caused them to come together and support each other. The players are confident in themselves and feel that their team can adapt well to changes.
“I would definitely say people are nervous, but I would not say our confidence went down,” said senior Jackson Linak.
However, the team doesn’t face immediate defeat in the upcoming season, as senior Chris Schultz and freshman Will Johnson have been working to be back-up quarterbacks, as well.
“We have handled everything really well,” said Linak. “Since we have so many quarterbacks, we can just keep rotating through.”
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