BY NOLAN RUTH
X – @RealNolanRuth
AZLE— Homecoming took a dark turn at Azle Christian School on Friday night with eight minutes left in the game. The Crusaders held a 38-18 lead over the Johnson County Sports Association when one of their players was on the receiving end of a very late hit. The hit resulted in the player landing on his head and neck before mayhem ensued.
After several minutes on pins and needles, paramedics secured the player and transported to Harris Medical Center in Fort Worth and the game was called.
Head coach Clayton Sanders gave an official statement.
“We had a player get body slammed well after the whistle and well out of bounds. Football is a tough sport that builds tough people, but there is no room in this game for that kind of trash. I’ll call it what it was, a dirty-trash play. Uncalled for. The game was called and our player was sent by ambulance to the hospital for evaluation and further tests. I’ve reached out to the Texas Association of Independent Athletic Organizations commissioner and we will see what they decide to do, as far as disciplining that player and team.”
He finished his statement with a call for prayers and thanks to the paramedics.
“We want to thank all the first responders for their quick action. We want to thank all the fans for their prayers and support. We will continue to pray for our fallen brother and teammate and know that God will turn a mess into a miracle.”
The player was released from the hospital in the early hours of Saturday morning. According to his father, X-Rays and scans came back negative.
Azle Christian officially claims a win for the game but the immediate future is up in the air. Sanders reached out to Perrin-Whitt head coach Kevin Loyd to discuss whether or not next Thursday’s game will happen. Sanders says it is likely that the game will not be played and Lloyd has been very understanding about the situation.
