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Loss of Harding leaves questions
Choice Words
By Andy Brown
Injuries are a part of any sport, but in football, they are probably even more common. Players and coaches know the risk and they have to live with what happens.
But that doesn’t mean the injuries the Louisburg football team sustained during Friday’s scrimmage made it any easier to take. The Wildcats lost one of their main cogs to the 2008 season when Drew Harding broke his collarbone on the second play of the scrimmage.
Harding was either going to be the team’s starting quarterback or tailback, and also starting linebacker, but the Louisburg junior could be out until district play, which is a little more than six weeks away.
“He is tough as it comes,” Louisburg coach Gary Griffin said of Harding. “It is his worst nightmare to get hurt, and I feel for the kid. I am not worried about the team, I am worried about him. When he has put as much into it as he has, it is hard for something like that to happen.”
Griffin informed his team of Harding’s condition after the scrimmage was over and told them they would have to step up in his absence. Harding was so important to the team that three people will probably have to fill his shoes until he returns.
The Wildcats are already entering this season with just one returning starter from a year ago. Louisburg is playing several sophomores and juniors that haven’t had much varsity time at all.
Not exactly the best time to lose one of your most important players. Of course, it never is.
On the positive side, however, this gives the Wildcats an opportunity to rally around their injured teammate and maybe play with a little more inspiration.
Louisburg is already playing with a chip on its shoulder in order to prove this group of Wildcats can play at a high level despite losing 21 starters from their 13-1 season a year ago.
The Wildcats have been pounding each other for two weeks, and before Friday, had escaped with minimal damage. They open their season this Friday in Ottawa in hopes of making a statement to their fans and to the rest of the Frontier League.
“We are ready to stop hitting each other,” Griffin said. “Win, lose or draw, we are ready to play someone to see where we are at. Hopefully, we can get some kind of scouting report of Ottawa and start working on stuff they might run against us. We will try to install a few new things and get ready to play. It is game time and we are ready to go. It is time to hit somebody else for awhile.”
Andy Brown can be reached at 837-4321 or andybrown@miconews.com
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But that doesn’t mean the injuries the Louisburg football team sustained during Friday’s scrimmage made it any easier to take. The Wildcats lost one of their main cogs to the 2008 season when Drew Harding broke his collarbone on the second play of the scrimmage.
Harding was either going to be the team’s starting quarterback or tailback, and also starting linebacker, but the Louisburg junior could be out until district play, which is a little more than six weeks away.
“He is tough as it comes,” Louisburg coach Gary Griffin said of Harding. “It is his worst nightmare to get hurt, and I feel for the kid. I am not worried about the team, I am worried about him. When he has put as much into it as he has, it is hard for something like that to happen.”
Griffin informed his team of Harding’s condition after the scrimmage was over and told them they would have to step up in his absence. Harding was so important to the team that three people will probably have to fill his shoes until he returns.
The Wildcats are already entering this season with just one returning starter from a year ago. Louisburg is playing several sophomores and juniors that haven’t had much varsity time at all.
Not exactly the best time to lose one of your most important players. Of course, it never is.
On the positive side, however, this gives the Wildcats an opportunity to rally around their injured teammate and maybe play with a little more inspiration.
Louisburg is already playing with a chip on its shoulder in order to prove this group of Wildcats can play at a high level despite losing 21 starters from their 13-1 season a year ago.
The Wildcats have been pounding each other for two weeks, and before Friday, had escaped with minimal damage. They open their season this Friday in Ottawa in hopes of making a statement to their fans and to the rest of the Frontier League.
“We are ready to stop hitting each other,” Griffin said. “Win, lose or draw, we are ready to play someone to see where we are at. Hopefully, we can get some kind of scouting report of Ottawa and start working on stuff they might run against us. We will try to install a few new things and get ready to play. It is game time and we are ready to go. It is time to hit somebody else for awhile.”
Andy Brown can be reached at 837-4321 or andybrown@miconews.com