High schools spend thousands of dollars on sport safety equipment to make sure the players are well equipped on the field. Helmets, pads, and mouth guards are all brought together to protect football players from injury.

Despite these precautions, the combination of the physical contact of the game, the roughness, the player size, and the speed of play makes injuries common. Players go through voluntary pain to increase their teams’ chances of winning and end up being put off to the side for weeks or even months to recover, when all they really want to do is get back on the field.

MHS defensive starters Danny Wallace and Billy Schoenle had their seasons ended early with knee and foot injuries, respectively, forcing sophomore Cameron Bell to take their place. During practice a week before the first game, Schoenle tore his ACL and his meniscus.

“It was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life,” described Schoenle. “There were several pops and tears and I was really spooked.”

Schnoele was being scouted by many Division 1 and Division 2 schools, but now is not being recruited because of the injury, he said. Instead he coaches the younger players since he has been playing varsity for four years.

“It’s very disappointing that this happened to me,” said Schoenle. “It’s still fun watching, but there is always the feeling of wanting to be out there with them.”

Schoenle’s experience is not unique, Journalistsresource.com states that during every high school football season, an estimated 43,000 to 67,000 players endure a concussion. Although researchers say that the number could be over 100,000 beacause not all accidents are reported.

Football is an American pasttime, but players can be seriously injured even with the right protective gear and safety precautions.

Wallace had taken Schoenle’s postion as linebacker and running back. But as the Wayne Memorial game took place on Sept. 1, Schoenle watched as Wallace fell. “Not again,” thought Schoenle as he watched the accident occur. “You have got to be kidding me.”

Wallace’s injury included a dislocated ankle as well as stretched ligaments.

The players got down on their knees as they watched Wallace, their leading tackler, being placed on a stretcher, put in the back of an ambulance, and raced off to the hospital.

“When my ankle snapped I didn’t feel anything and when I looked at it I freaked out,” Wallace described. “When they reduced it (popping the bone back in place), it felt like a chain saw was going through my leg.”

Instead of tackling and making touchdowns, Wallace will watch on the sidelines and learn for next season.

Wallace’s friend Chloe English was wearing his jersey and recalled going up the steps of the stands and everyone calling out her name to look out onto the field. “All I could really do was panic as I watched him being carried in to the ambulance, speechless.”

Wallace traveled through the hallways in a wheelchair until the doctors said he could transfer to crutches, adding another six weeks to his recovery time. “It’s depressing thinking of what could have gone down this season,” Wallace said.

Brandon Wallace watched in horror as his brother, Danny Wallace, was carried off the field. “I was scared that he wouldn’t be able to play another varsity game and we wouldn’t be able to play together again.”

At home, Brandon let Danny sleep in his room to be able to take care of him and be able to get him anything he needed during the night.

Certain precautions can assist in preventing players from being in a dangerous situation on the field.

According to gaintsbits.com a player can prevent injuries during practice and during the game by wearing the proper gear, by doing warm ups, getting sufficient rest, and proper nutrition.

Danny is hoping to recover quickly enough to make the varsity basketball team this year and run track in the spring.

Schoenle plans to go to MSU, but has not decided if he really wants to play football. Though they finished 6-4, the MHS team can only wonder where they would be if these two had not fallen.