Laurel football player seriously injures spine, undergoes surgery
By:
Saturday, September 1, 2018 | 7:27 PM
Doctors performed two surgeries Saturday on Laurel football player Hayden Hamilton, a sophomore who sustained a severe spinal injury Friday night.
“They are trying to get the spinal cord to decompress,” Laurel superintendent Leonard Rich said. “He made it through both surgeries, so now we’re waiting for time to tell if he gains feeling in all of his extremities. He does have feeling in his arms and can move his hands.”
Hamilton was seriously injured playing defense in Friday’s 26-14 loss to Rochester.
“He got hit from behind during the play,” Rich said. “When he went down, the running back’s leg caught him in the side of the head. It was a neck-jarring hit.”
He was transported to UPMC Children’s Hospital, Rich said, where Laurel coach Brian Cooper spent the night with Hayden and his family.
The injury required pins to stabilize vertebrae, Rich said.
“Coach Cooper told me the kid was lying there last night in the hospital bed in good spirits and making jokes,” Rich said. “I think that speaks to who he is. He’s got a little edge to him, and that’s going to help him.”
Hayden’s father, Chad Hamilton, posted an update Saturday on Facebook.
“The (doctors) stabilized his vertebrae in his neck, and have done their best to decompress his spinal cord,” he wrote. “They are treating him as aggressively as they can to regain as much as possible. I wish I had better news.”
The school is planning a prayer vigil at the football stadium Sunday.
Cooper held a voluntary team meeting Saturday morning for players and parents. The coaching staff showed up still wearing the same clothes from Friday.
“As you can imagine there were a lot of tears, not only from the players but from the coaches,” Rich said. “We’re extremely scared. We love him. He’s got a long road ahead of him. We’re all behind him.”
Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.
More High School Football
• Former Bishop Canevin standout Daiveon Taylor, now at Aliquippa, commits to West Virginia• Aliquippa injunction hearing vs. PIAA takes 3-week pause with executive director testifying
• Pirates team doctor Patrick DeMeo among witnesses called by Aliquippa in lawsuit against PIAA
• Westmoreland high school notebook: Football rivalry games put on hold this season
• Girls flag football catching on at Shaler
