NOTES: Two football players seriously injured
At least two local high school football players were seriously injured in games Friday, including one who is expected to miss the rest of the season.
Shadow Ridge senior running back/cornerback Zak Hill suffered a broken neck while returning a kick in the first quarter of a 56-0 home loss to Palo Verde, Mustangs coach Gabe Gledhill said.
Hill, who broke his C1 and C2 vertebrae, will miss the remainder of the season, Gledhill said.
Hill is wearing a halo on his neck but has movement throughout the rest of his body, Gledhill said.
Gledhill said Hill left Centennial Hills Hospital on Friday night and underwent surgery at University Medical Center on Saturday. Hill arrived home Sunday.
“They believe the halo will stabilize everything so it can heal,” Gledhill said. “They’ll re-evaluate in three months.”
Gledhill said Hill will remain home from school for three months because doctors “don’t want any action where he gets bumped or moved.”
The 5-foot-8-inch, 165-pound Hill is the leading rusher (349 yards, three touchdowns) and receiver (eight receptions, 98 yards, one TD) for Shadow Ridge (0-4).
“It’s tough to replace a good young man like that, and obviously he was our main offensive player and just a good kid,” Gledhill said. “We hope everybody will keep him in their thoughts and prayers.”
Chaparral senior wide receiver/cornerback Malcolm McMurray suffered a deep contusion of his spine while being tackled in the second quarter of a 33-15 home loss to Desert Pines, Cowboys coach Donnie Davis said.
McMurray was released from a hospital Friday without needing surgery, Davis said.
McMurray might miss only one game, Davis said, but even if he is cleared, Chaparral will exercise caution.
The 6-foot, 155-pound McMurray has nine receptions for 235 yards and two TDs for the Cowboys (0-4), including a 75-yard TD catch Friday.
NATIONAL AUDIENCE — Friday’s football game between Green Valley and Bishop Gorman will be televised nationally by CBS College Sports (Cox 333). The kickoff has been moved to 6 p.m. to accommodate the broadcast.
Second-ranked Gorman (5-0) will try to make it two straight home wins after beating Desert Oasis 42-11 last week. Green Valley (2-2) is coming off a 34-14 loss at Liberty in its league opener.
JOSEPH SETS VISITS — Findlay Prep senior point guard Cory Joseph has scheduled official recruiting visits to Connecticut on Oct. 16 and Villanova on Oct. 23, Findlay Prep coach Michael Peck said.
Joseph also is weighing scholarship offers from Texas, Minnesota, UNLV, Mississippi State and Florida, Peck said.
CENTENNIAL WINS PRE-NATIONALS — Centennial’s boys cross country team placed first in Division I (the meet’s second division) at the Nike Pre-Nationals in Portland, Ore., last weekend.
Centennial’s Nick Hartle placed third, covering the 3.1-mile course in 15 minutes, 43.2 seconds.
