Hempfield QB Dom Detruf sidelined with heart condition, vows to return this season

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, July 23, 2024 | 4:18 PM

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As his teammates ran routes, threw and caught passes and defended throws, Dom Detruf looked on with interest.

He stood on the field, holding a football and a towel and barked out directions and advice like a coach.

The junior quarterback from Hempfield would rather have been playing, but he was not medically cleared for Thursday’s Westmoreland County Coaches Association 7-on-7 passing tournament at Latrobe.

Detruf recently was diagnosed with an acute case of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart that might have been caused by a viral infection. He vows to play again after taking over the starting job last year.

“I can still help coach and lead,” Detruf said. “I can promise I will be at practice every day to help our guys.”

Myocarditis is considered a self-resolving affliction, in most cases. It has no cure but requires rest and testing. An inflamed heart weakens the muscle, making it harder to pump blood.

“We got home from vacation (in Mexico) last Saturday,” Detruf said. “On Tuesday, I was really sick and was achy. On Friday, I had discomfort in my chest. It felt like someone was sitting on it.”

Detruf was taken by ambulance to Children’s Hospital, and doctors immediately ran tests.

“They said it was nothing I did that made this happen,” Detruf said. “They didn’t put me on any medication, but they want me to take it easy. They don’t want me to put too much stress on my heart.”

Detruf, who did not get vaccinated from covid-19, has to take it easy until he is cleared to return. He can throw and perform light weightlifting but is not permitted to run or have any contact in practice. He said he could miss four weeks of summer football practice.

Doctors said other patients with more serious cases of myocarditis have been sidelined from strenuous activity for three to six months. That prognosis is extreme and likely will not apply to Detruf.

The Spartans are waiting patiently with optimism. Detruf is handling the situation with positivity and encouragement.

“He’s been our linebacker in (light) drills and our scout-team quarterback,” Hempfield coach Nick Keefer said. “He is finding ways to help us. That’s the kind of person Dom is. He is mature beyond his years.”

The plan, Keefer said, is to get Detruf back by Aug. 28. If he is cleared by then, he will have missed heat acclimation week, training camp, a scrimmage and the Week Zero opener against North Hills on Aug. 23.

Two echo cardiograms show normal heart function. An MRI and stress test are next.

The family is going to seek a second opinion.

“They said they have seen this condition more in teenage boys lately,” Detruf said. “They don’t know if I got sick on vacation, maybe on the plane ride home. It may have been (present) before. There were 17 of us who went to Mexico, and a bunch of us got sick.”

Detruf worked closely with backup QB Carden Lippman at the WCCA event and helps him in practice.

“Whether there is something good or bad, he talks to Carden after every play,” Keefer said. “He tells him he should do this or that. A lesser kid maybe couldn’t come (to workouts) or just stand on the sideline.”

Keefer said Detruf’s teammates have been supportive.

“Hempfield is a family-oriented team,” the coach said. “The kids pick each other up. Dom’s presence is felt when he is here.”

Detruf completed 74 of 145 passes last season for 1,016 yards and nine touchdowns last season.

“Whenever they say I can go, I will be ready to go,” Detruf said. “I will be back this season.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Hempfield