Memorial High School - Reata Yearbook (Houston, TX)

Page 231 text:

1 i , ,Naam Y 2 ' , 5 - J x I 5 5 X x 5 1 X , E w x M F, ff Ju., ,gm 53' M uf cj M, xg, 4 as war m? .' J' Q r K. x 1 ws, i auf, -MQ Q2 . mg. w 1

Page 230 text:

VARSITY SCORE BOX MHS Opponent Clear Creek 47 1 O Brazoswood 25 34 Bay City 22 0 Victoria 14 10 Northbrook 6 O Westchester 1 4 9 Stratford 9 3 Spring Woods 28 O Alief 35 7 Spring Branch T 20 6 Westbury 16 5 Kashmere. s j S 21 26 'CWon 1O,.Lost.2J g By Susie ith his body sprawled across the 30 yard line, the young man grunted a little, cussed a lot, and repeatedly slapped his hands on the astroturf in efforts to overcome the pain in his left ankle. As team trainers aided the injured's safety, he muttered a few foul words and then stopped, and thought to himself, So you're injured. Well, so now what? For the moment, as well as the days to come, no amount of bitter complain- ing will make the pain go away. He will have to adjust to sittingout the rest of the game or even practice the following week. Once he is ready to play again, he may have to toi win back his starting position. : 1 I Along with tackles, touchdowns, penalties, and sacks, injuries are a part of the game of football. Like many aspects of the game, those physical mishaps involve more than the specific plays in which they occurred. You're always going to have a cer- tain amount of touchdowns, tackles, and injuries, said Head Coach Les Koenning. A person feels like, if he's injured, he should rest. I feel like he should keep in the best physical condi- tion until he's well, Koenning said. 'Tm sorry about an injury, but thatls part of the game, he said. The thing that concerns me is the crippling injury? I - A LITTLE,-1?A1Nig Whether they occur in themiddle of a crucial game or in a practice drill, most injuries leave a lasting memory in 224 ' Varsity Football BACKEFI 1673, nos C323 tackle terback WITH THE K e quar I Every time l'm hitting some- one I think 'kiII,' said Wom- ack The Wildcats suffered turnovers and were able score only nine points. The won 14-9. Photo by f I ll I the victimis mind. It was durin tice, a dive drill, and I wa ball, recalled end Mike who hyper-extended his knee the Brazoswood game. Somebody hit my knee, and I heard it pop twice. I thought it was broken, he said. I hit the ground, and coaches were yelling 'Hit him, hit him,' and I said I thought, 'oh, good grief - I'm not going to be able to play? Throughout the season, the Mus- tangs were fortunate to only have two major injuries, that of McCulloch and defensive end Ken Kelley, who suf- fered a recurring knee injury. The majority of the team said they had experienced some sort of pain. i Kelley was bothered with anhold knee injury in the early part of the sea-y son. He spent five weeks conditioning the knee, only to go down with the same injury in his comeback game. 'I was more upset the second time, he said, I had spent five weeks just get- ting it back in shape and I was pretty upset when it went out on the sixth play of the game. Many key positions on the team had been hurting, but in most instances, the players learned to live with the pain. Everybody is hurt a bit,', said center Scott Burdine. After a ten-game sea- son, you're going to be pretty battered up. On the offense, quarterback Greg Dalton played the season with sprained ligaments in his knee, while the two running backs, Walter Rowland and Brian Womac, had been hampered with shoulder problems. Out of our two backs, we have four injured shoulders, Womac said. Var- S S as . Il little hit of hurt a lot. There's always get injured, he said. ackles Clay McMordie Carlos DeAyala played with inju- ries, as McMordie suffered from rotary problems in his knee and DeAyala nursed a slight shoulder separation. It,s just a matter of it you want to play, you'l1 play even with pain, McMordie said. I don't think many people could stand the pain Walter goes through. He gets hit again and again, but he keeps going. We know Walter Rowland is in pain constantly, and Greg Dalton is in pain constantlyf' said Koenning. As long as there is no chance of permanent injury, then he fa playerj should play. It itls a cheap shot fthat causes the injuryj, then it makes me madf' said -cornerback Harry Purdom. If itis a good shot, then thatis O.K. Itis part of the game, he said. When a teammate gets hurt during a game, many players believe their con- centration is momentarily broken. You try to forget about it in the game and just go and find out about it later, said cornerback Kevin Ray. THE CULL Long, hard practices were generally dreaded by players, but most would rather practice than sit out with an injury. When you,re practicing, you donit want to practice, but when you're sitting out, you wish you were, McMordie said. Tearnmates and coaches usually tease players who missed practice because of an injury, said Womac. fCon1inued on page 2261

Page 232 text:

IN AN ATTEMPT to catch the ball, end Mike Weir C811 and Clear Creek tlanker Marshall Sealy C75 make contact. l went out for a pass. Greg threw the ball righton the money and when I went up you can see this guy pull my arm down, said Weir. They didnlt call pass interference? Photo by Darryl Yee. ,, Y ,H f l i. 1 ff '- Ni fy: 5 A ,Ni WU K, . I 1 Q' lluwn with an injury . . it . - . l i ,,,. I i-2'-i'35'fHi25ifI0EgH5-4 narrate ee.sess::n. 1,-' 1- '.?r-Trai-fc? i J J' 3 ' 'Z' , fr 1e'l 'W 5i3-'-it-iQf'54flP-433-Ei comme UP AGAINST A 1-Hg '-' he ,. , A, WALL or Boones, wing- yi I t -if A I Fr:.2zid.Bx2V?Q5L?3 l f 1 .. A 00 , , A , A L yardage. I was spinring f A ' -Q5 5 oft, said Brigman. got 'g 13 A. A b 5115? -ll. 'R it U A ' killed anyway. Photo by I me . . M. Daffvmff I A g A ,.A -I -I A -f - Eiittetiiim., ',.. .. Aw, I I 1 i W , 1 . . . . A A l K Continued from page 2241 . e sat out workouts with a cracked shoulder blade. The middle of the apple is called the cull. That means you're nothing. When you don,t play and practice, they Cteammatesj call you cull,f' he said. I For players who missed practice because of an injury, Koenning had a rule about playing the week's game. During the regular season if you miss practice, Koenning says you don't start, said tailback Ed Kruger. It's reallya drag going to a game and not being able to play, said McCulloch. Not being able to partici- in a game, he added, did not pro- him mentally or emotionally, physically. From the sidelines, Kelley said it was frustrating sometimesito watch some- one else play his position. On a really good hit, I would wonder if I would have done it that way,', he said. At the start of his junior year, line- backer Brad Dawson had surgery for torn ligaments in his knee. Because of the operation, he was unable to play the entire season. SHAPING UP For six weeks, Dawson's leg was in a cast, and for the first time, he was able to suit up for the play-off games. It was too weak to play thoughf' he said. In order to regain a position on the team, Dawson spent the off season lift- ing leg weights at Nautilus and was on a running program of his own. . I had to prove that I could do it, to myself and everybody, ,he said. I wanted to kill myself because I couldnit do anything, he said. HI didn't even feel like I was part of the team. When McCulloch was injured, his close friend Dana Van Reenan becamd concerned. I started thinking about who would take his place, whether he'd be all right running and doing normal things - not just football, Van Reenan said. 'I'd take him to Nautilus and make him .work his leg out, he continued He may not have wanted to go, but I made himf' To get back into condition, Kelley said he lifted leg weights, ran, and sau in the whirlpool twice a day. But condi- tioning programs, according to Koen- ning, vary from injury to injury. The player is to report to the trainer anc work with him until he is well,', he said By having a well-conditioned tean you can eliminate those injuries. CAUSE AND REMEDY Most players credited the condition- ing they received in practice for they small amount of injuries. When you, get tired, that's when you get injured, l Burdine said. l They get injured because they're not doing what they're supposed t do, said defensive guard Chris Mal- ham. You get injured when you're notl going 100 percent, said Dawsonl Because of the conditioning, the playe ers went through, he said they did not get tired in games as quickly as their opponents did. Thus the fewer inj uries. I think that a sprained ankle or a bruise is . good for you mentally. Koenning said. NAS long as there are no physical after effects, I think they need to play with it fpainj' You can't think about your injury or you'll get hurt, said Burdine. Coach says, you just have to spit on it, rub it in, and get on out there. -30 -