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Sports • Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Concussions continue to plague football
Drew Egnoske
WASHBURN REVIEW
There is a lurking danger that is in the back of every players’ mind. It is the athletic clock that will determine the final time that a player will strap on his helmet and shoulder pads. A player can sometimes know when that clock is close to expiring, but for many they will never know the exact time it will stop ticking. The covert strike that might end a players’ career often times comes in the form of a concussion. Concussions are a serious and dangerous problem for athletes and as medical research continues to improve, so does the treatment of the symptoms. Unfortunately, there is still a long ways to go in understanding what the repercussions are for continued blows to the head that result in brain injuries. Symptoms have ranged from dizziness and confusion to the most extreme in the form of memory loss and suicide. “The longer someone goes without taking care of their symptoms from a concussion, the longer it will take for them to recover and the risk for long term issues and a second concussion increases,” said Austin Hills, an athletic trainer at Washburn. Hills graduated from Washburn in 2011 and played football for the Ichabods. He coordinates treatment of concussions with team physicians and makes sure the department is following the proper procedures set forth in their policies. “We all want the student athlete to get back to play as soon as possible, but all of us here put the student athlete first and care about their health and well-being when it comes to concussions,” said Hills.
Photo by Abby Mies , Washburn Review
Heads Up: Washburn quarterback Mitch Buhler was sidelined this last Saturday against Emporia State after suffering a concussion during the game against Missouri Western. Buhler was anable to practice all week after failing to pass certain cognitive tests and physical examinations. The tragic ending to AllPro linebacker Junior Seau, said to be the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain, caused by concussions, shows just how serious they are and the need
to treat them. But suicides by football players linked to concussions is not a new phenomena. Dave Duerson, Ray Easterling, and Kenny McKinley are all recent cases of former NFL
players committing suicide. Part of the danger that a player faces when dealing with concussions is himself and differentiating between playing hurt and playing injured.
The challenge for trainers comes in the form of detecting and educating players to know that it is okay to tell someone if they have a concussion. In the NFL, a player risks losing money if he is diagnosed with a concussion. It could even spell the end of his career. Because they don’t want to lose money, it can result in sustained injuries to the head going without proper treatment. That is an intense load to put on an injured brain. “It feels like your head is going to explode and you feel like you’re in a fog place. It’s very hard to think or even concentrate for long periods of time,” said Devon Connors, cornerback for the Ichabods. Connors suffered a concussion earlier in his career and the fear of what could happen if he gets another one is always playing in the back of his mind. “It’s probably one of the worst things to go through because it can effect you in the long run,” said Connors. “Your symptoms can vary depending on the typed of concussion you get and some can end your career.” A recent study published by the medical journal Neurology concluded that football players are three times as likely to be diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Once a person receives a concussion, it is very easy for them to get a second one also known as “Second Impact Syndrome.” This causes excess fluid to build up in the brain and can lead to death, among other things. “The brain is very susceptible to injury and with increased pressure on the brain it starts dying within 3-5 minutes.” said Hills
Washburn’s Athletic Department uses a series of tests and guidelines from the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA). This establishes a base-line for each athlete before the beginning of a season. Then if it appears that an athlete has a concussion at any point afterwards, they are measured against the original base line test to see the severity. Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell sustained injuries during his NFL career that have left him using a wheelchair for a majority of his daily activities. Campbell played during a time when medical research was not as advanced as it is today and concussions were something that no one wanted to acknowledge. Today’s knowledge on medical treatments, especially for concussions has come along way since Campbell retired in 1986 but there is still a long road ahead as well. Another challenge for trainers and physicians is that no two concussions are the same. Each individual who receives a concussion reacts differently so the in lies another challenge. “There is no ‘one size fits all’ protocol for concussions,” said Hills. “Research on the effects and treatment of concussions is ever-changing and we have just scratched the surface on what we will learn.”
Drew Egnoske is a senior mass media major. Reach him at drew.egnoske@washburn.edu.
Ichabods drop third straight game Bulls out muscle Runners in Topeka
Photo by Abby Mies, Washburn Review
Tough Treading: Washburn’s Tyrell Brown (5), stiff arms an Emporia State defender during Saturday’s Turnpike Tussel meeting. Brown and the Ichabods got blasted by the Hornets losing 55-23.
Drew Egnoske
WASHBURN REVIEW
The Ichabods ended their season on a disappointing note as they fell to Emporia State at home on Senior Day 55-23. Washburn started the game off strong with a forced fumble by T.J. Shine and recovered by Jahmil Taylor. Running back Hayden Groves then scored the go ahead touchdown early in the first quarter. Emporia State answered back with a touchdown of their own and took the lead 7-6 because Washburn kicker Jeremy Linn missed the extra point. Washburn then scored a field goal on their next drive to take the lead and held it until the end of the first quarter. The flood gates opened in the second quarter when ESU scored 17 unanswered points and 21 more in the third as well. Washburn held Emporia to only 10 points in the fourth quarter while scoring 14 them-
selves. This was all for nothing as they finished the game and their season with a loss. “I thought we didn’t finish the season strong and that the team didn’t play with enough
through their collegiate career at Washburn. “It’s been an awesome experience to be with the Washburn family,” said Steve Dieckhaus, senior offensive lineman. “I wouldn’t change it for anything.” Dieckhaus recently received First Team All MIAA honors for his play this season. Tight end Tore’ Hurst was named to the Second Team All MIAA. Kyle Duncan, Corey Walker, Jayveri Kelly, Bryce Atagi, Jahmil Taylor, Devon Connors, Willie Williams and Aaron Hummert all received honorable mentions as well. With the departure of the 2012 squad of seniors it is now time for new leaders to step up. Groves believes that he can be a leader going into the 2013 season and sees leading by example as a key aspect for that to happen. “I want to become the starter next season,” said Groves. “Bigger and stronger” are things that he says he will focus on for offseason conditioning. “I want to be a team lead-
“ It’s been an awesome experience to be with the Washburn family. I wouldn’t change it for anything.
- Steve Dieckhaus senior offensive lineman physicality,” said Groves. “We were a young team that needed a year under our belt.” As disheartening as this loss was for head coach Craig Schurig, his players were able to find something positive to focus on afterwards. It was senior day after all and gave those who were playing their last game a chance to think back
er and lead by example,” said Groves. “Doing the little things and making sure everyone is working hard and on the same page.”
Drew Egnoske is a senior mass media major. Reach him at drew.egnoske@washburn.edu.
Photo by Richard Kelly, Washburn Review
RoadRunners Get Bullied: Topeka forward Peter Halasch is taken down from behind in fron of Amarillo’s goal during a game on Saturday. After throttling the Bulls 5-2 Friday the Bulls defeated the Runners 4-2 on Saturday.
Richard Kelly
WASHBURN REVIEW
Armed with momentum, the Topeka RoadRunners were forced to kill off a five minute penalty kill early in the third period of Saturday’s game. Unfortunately, they couldn’t keep Amarillo off the board for all of it, giving up the eventual game-winning goal at 6:37, as the Bulls defeated the RoadRunners 4-2 at Landon Arena. Following a game-tying goal from forward Dan Dupell early in the period, Topeka (144-2) kept Amarillo (12-2-3) at bay most of the powerplay, but forward Ryan Cole made sure forward Kyle Sharkey’s spearing major came back to haunt the RoadRunners. He scored on a deflection of defenseman John Rey’s shot. “We did a great job most of that penalty kill, but it takes just one to basically put the game away,” said RoadRunners head coach Scott Langer. In the first period, Topeka struck first as forward Sean
Gaffney scored a powerplay goal at 6:02. Later in the period, Amarillo had a chance to tie it on a penalty shot, but goaltender Mackenzie Sawyer turned aside forward Gage Christianson. Forward Tyler Gernhofer tied the contest at 18:45 of the period, reversing Topeka’s Friday fortune, where two of their five goals were scored late in the period. In the second period, forward Mike Davis gave Amarillo a 2-1 lead when his shot found its way past Sawyer. Amarillo outshot Topeka 23-18 in the first two periods. In the final period, following Dupell and Cole’s goals, forward Omar Mullan sealed the victory with a goal at 8:02. Topeka made a frantic rush to tie the game late, but goaltender Collin Delia held strong to preserve a Bull victory. “I thought we got some pretty decent chances, especially in the first period,” said Langer. “They’re a good team, but tonight we made it very easy for them to win on the road.” Despite the final score,
Langer said Sawyer’s effort was solid. He made 28 saves on 32 shots. “[Sawyer] played pretty well tonight,” said Langer. “Some of the ones he did face, he did a great job on them. The other ones were just deflections that went off of things.” The end result contrasted Friday’s contest, where Topeka scored four powerplay goals on its way to a 5-2 win over Amarillo. One of the biggest highlights of Friday’s game was Sharkey, who had a hat trick, scoring a goal in each period. Topeka now travels to Springfield, Ill. to play the Springfield Jr. Blues this coming Friday and Saturday. They will then return to Landon Arena to face the Texas Tornado Nov. 23-25.
Richard Kelly is a double major in mass media and social work. Reach him at richard.kelly@ washburn.edu.