Re-examining high school football protocol to avoid injuries

Football injuries are once again in the spotlight.

Star quarterback Evan Murray died in New Jersey over the weekend after taking a hit in his high school football game.

He was the third teen to die from an on-field injury just this school year.

And CJ Anderson with the Broncos had a scare in the game Sunday, but luckily avoided a concussion.

Twelve high school players die from injuries sustained during a game or practice each year.

That’s why local high school programs place an emphasis on training for safety.

“We practice in the off-season and on-season because we need to teach them techniques to tackle and take hits to avoid all types of injuries,” Sand Creek football coach Rod Baker said.

The repeated lesson: keep your head up, and keep your feet squared.

“We work on footwork and movement to make sure we keep our head and neck safe because a lot of injuries are just being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” player Devin Barnard said.

Barnard makes contact with someone every play because he’s an offensive lineman.

But he said he’s not worried about getting injured because they are trained so well.

“We practice this all the time and there are risks with it so you just try and avoid them,” he said.

On top of training, the high school invests in new, top-of-the-line helmets every year to keep players safe.

“I don’t even like talking about injuries because they’re kids playing a game, but we do our best to keep them safe,” Baker said.

If anyone thinks a player has a concussion, they are sent to a trainer and doctor to be evaluated.

If they do have a concussion, they are out of football until cleared by the doctor.