Injuries seriously afflicting some Chattanooga area prep teams

photo Signal Mountain's Skye Wilson (11) picks up yardage after stiff-arming Tyner's Jadarius Paris (3).

Skye Wilson likely will be on the sideline tonight when Signal Mountain plays at Chattanooga Christian, but the closest the sophomore running back will be to dressing out might be his game jersey.

He was forced to swap his football gear for a pair of crutches after suffering a season-ending knee surgery.

The story is similar for East Hamilton sophomore quarterback Nicholas Woods, whose season was ended by a knee injury in the Hurricanes' first game of the year against Signal.

It's the same at Polk County, although the injury situation in Benton has been much more of a revolving door.

"It's uncharted territory. We don't have a script for this," Polk coach Derrick Davis said earlier this week. "It's like today getting ready for Sweetwater and we don't know who we're going to have."

There are numerous injury situations across the region, from Dalton linebacker Eder Mora (broken bone in his foot) and Ringgold running back/defensive back Kile Sholl (broken hand) to South Pittsburg runner Corbin Fitzgerald (knee) and Chattanooga Christian runner D.J. Toney, who suffered head and neck injuries several weeks ago and is still out.

Injuries are part of the game, and while coaches feel for injured players, they realize that life goes on.

"We have other backs that have to step up. We were rotating a lot of backs anyway," Signal coach Bill Price said. "We have experienced kids. They'll just get a lot more reps, probably spread it between Kaleb (Menzel), Hunter (VanDyken) and Nathan Johnson."

Wilson was the Eagles' leading rusher and, averaging 98 rushing yards per game in their backfield rotation, was a Best of Preps candidate.

"He's had one surgery," Price said. "Took two doctors about six hours to repair the meniscus and the MCL, and he's looking at another surgery in three to six months to repair the ACL. You hate it because beyond football he's a really good kid. He has a lot of work to do to get back by next fall."

Woods' ACL tear caused the first of two changes at quarterback for East Hamilton.

"We're still doing what we were doing when we had him," Gatewood said. "It was just one of those situations when you lose a guy that had been doing it and you're using a guy that hadn't done it as much that makes it a little difficult."

While Woods underwent knee surgery and began the rehab process, Caleb Rhodes stepped in. Now, though, Rhodes is limited to receiver chores after a thumb injury on his throwing hand took him out of the quarterback picture.

"We adapted, adjusted some things. We have put in more option," Gatewood said.

The changes came in an open week before the Hurricanes' game with Cleveland.

"Caleb was at quarterback and then we moved Matt Milita. Yeah, it's kind of like starting over twice," the coach said. "We're still trying to be balanced, and the thing about it, Matt is getting better. He's thrown some good balls. It's a matter of timing and understanding, but Matt is such a competitor."

Polk's Davis, though, has never seen anything like the rash of injuries that have afflicted the Wildcats. They have lost eight players since the practices before the season-opening game against Bradley Central, including a pair of quarterbacks, their fullback, a tight end, several linemen and some linebackers.

"Our quarterback last Friday had just gotten cleared and he got a concussion against Notre Dame, so we know he's out again for at least this week," Davis said.

One player, linebacker Ben Norwood, has a broken bone in his foot but got medical approval to play as long as he uses the crafted mold for his foot that fits in his cleat.

"We're starting a freshman Friday night," Davis said. "Most of the guys that had been playing JV on Mondays are now playing on Fridays. I hate canceling JV games and I used to hate it when guys canceled on me. But that's what we've had to do. Never before have I said, 'We just can't do it.'

"You do what you can do -- fit the pieces together the best you can and try to make the best of it."

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.

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