Ethan recently got invited to play in the East West All Star game for football. He will be playing December 13 at St. X high school.   He was picked to be one of the four wide receivers to play. Ethan was the only kid picked from this area. He was very excited to be able to play again but this time in front of more college recruiters. I am also very excited to watch him play again and hopefully getting an opportunity to further his career. My family is very excited that Ethan gets this opportunity to come back to do what he loves. When Ethan had back surgery he thought that it was the end of him playing sports for good, but he dedicated his time to getting better and now he has multiple colleges looking at him for football and some for baseball.

During Ethan's senior year he has been followed my several colleges the past couple of months. Ethan has a very strong interest in Eastern Kentucky University, where he recently got accepted, and he hopes to be able to play football for them one day. EKU sports director is meeting with Ethan to watch highlight films. Lindsey Wilson has also looked at him for football and baseball. Ethan plans to go into the Wildlife program so he will be juggling a lot with sports and college work.

High school athletes suffer about 2 million injuries every year, resulting in 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations. The most commonly injured body parts are the knee, shoulder and hand/finger. The most common diagnoses were fracture, incomplete ligament sprain and complete ligament sprain. 7 out 10 of sever injuries were the result of player-player contact, 3 out of 10 of severe injuries occurred to the player being tackled and 1 out of 5 were to player making the tackle. Lower back or overall back pain is a common complaint in football due to overuse. Often a leading cause is overtraining syndrome. This is when a player trains beyond the ability for the body to easily recover. UW medicine has provided helpful tips to prevent injuries, they are listed below.

Perform proper warm-up and cool-down routines

Consistently incorporate strength training and stretching

Hydrate adequately to maintain health and minimize cramps

Stay active during summer break to prepare for return to sports in the fall

Wear properly fitted protective equipment, such as a helmet, pads, and mouth guard

Tackle with the head up and do not lead with the helmet

Have a pre-season health and wellness evaluation

Speak with a sports medicine professional or athletic trainer if you have any concerns about football injuries or football injury prevention strategies