It’s peculiar how vividly I remember the details leading up to a concussion I had my junior year in high school, because the moment my head slammed into the ground, everything went dark.
I had jumped into the air, reaching for a pass thrown so high only the Saints’ Jimmy Graham could’ve reached it. The defender cut me under the knees. I flipped 180 degrees and landed awkwardly.
Apparently, coaches, teammates and athletic training staff surrounded me on the field where I remained for a few minutes. Eventually, I was moved to the sideline.
I only “woke up” as I sat on a bench, speaking with someone I’d never seen before. It’s an unusual experience to have your mind suddenly activate while in mid-speech.
That was about eight years ago now. What we as a public know and understand about concussions has come a long way since then.
There is no further proof of how far the treatment of possible head trauma has come than last Saturday afternoon, during West Side and Firth’s 2A semifinal playoff game.
The Pirates and Cougars were deadlocked in a win-or-go-home battle. West Side entered the game as the underdog, but in the fourth quarter, Firth was clinging to a 16-14 lead. The Pirates had a shot.
West Side received a kickoff and took over at their own 24-yard line with 10 minutes and 23 seconds to play.
Coby Roholt ran the ball twice in the next three plays. But the drive stalled and the Pirates were forced to punt.
At some point during that series, Roholt was pulled to the sideline and tested for a possible concussion. He passed but under the Idaho High School Activities Association guidelines, Roholt had to sit for 10 minutes before he could undergo another test.
In a sport where a team’s success hinges on 11 players working together to execute a game plan, Roholt’s absence in that 10 minute span was crucial.
He’s their middle linebacker on defense and on offense, where the Pirates had lost their best running back Jon O’Brien to a game-ending leg injury, Roholt’s play was critical.
Need proof of his value for West Side? Roholt missed the first two games of the season. The Pirates lost both and gave up a total of 90 points.
In the team’s next eight games leading up the to semifinal contest against Firth, the Pirates’ defense allowed 84 points.
“For 10 minutes of the game, our best defensive player is sitting on the bench,” said West Side head coach Tyson Moser. “It ended up he was just fine.”
He passed the second test and returned to the game, but the time he missed was crucial. Firth scored its third touchdown of the half and opened up an eight-point lead, a margin that held true.
Despite a valiant effort, West Side had come up short in an agonizingly close loss. There’s only so many opportunities to make a state championship. In the realm of sports, it just doesn’t get much more painful.
If Roholt hadn’t been forced to sit, would it have made the difference? Obviously, we’ll never know. And I doubt any Pirate fan, coach or player would agree, but I can’t help but take a positive away from the situation.
Someone determined Roholt exhibited concussion symptoms. The correct action was taken. He was excused from the game.
Concussions, or traumatic brain injuries, occur as a result of the brain being shaken so violently that it hits the inside of the skull, damaging blood vessels and nerve cells. The long term effects, to a large extent, are mysterious.
The National Football League announced this past September it will donate $30 million to study concussions. That’s a good thing. But it’s just as important that at the high school level, we adopt a progressive, forward thinking policies and attitudes towards head trauma.
It may cost players, teams and fans a little heartburn in the short term but if it improves the game today, then count me in.
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