COALVILLE Devin Smith didn’t know what to say.
The North Summit head football coach lost his two-year starting quarterback on the second play of the game. He lost a senior offensive lineman a few minutes later. And to add insult to injury, he lost his best wide receiver and cornerback when the game was already in the opponent’s hands.
By the end of the 35-0 loss to Millard Friday night in Coalville, the Braves were minus six key starters due to injury.
“Pretty frustrating,” Smith said. “When you’re a small school like we are and you got six starters on the sidelines, it’s pretty hard to compete.”
Senior quarterback Keegan McQueen injured his right shoulder on the first offensive series during a scamper for a first down. He tore his labrum in his right shoulder last season, Smith said, and there’s no indication of what the extent of his injury is at this time, or how long he may be out.
“It hurt us,” Smith said. “There’s no question. I thought we were moving the ball OK, and that was our game plan, to shorten the game by eating up the clock. We knew that was our only chance.”
And it seems he was spot on.
Millard’s two-headed attack of tailbacks Jesse Rhodes and Pancho Alcala put their stamp on the game as Rhodes busted a 52-yard touchdown run on a third-and-five play minutes into the first quarter. The rest of the evening belonged to Alcala, who ran for 110 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries. He also caught two passes for 59 yards and a touchdown.
Once McQueen’s pads were off, backup junior quarterback Ben Stephens, who obviously has had limited first-team reps this season, took the spot behind center.
“(Stephens) did all he could,” Smith said. “It was just one of those deals.”
Senior offensive lineman Dakota Gunn was helped off the field midway through the first quarter with an apparent knee injury. Fellow senior and skill player wideout/defensive back Jaxon Vernon exited in the third quarter with a lower leg injury.
Even star running back Nathan Rees was held out for much of the fourth quarter after he was slow to get up after a burst toward the sidelines.
“We’re having a hard time catching breaks,” Smith said. “I don’t know. Those are things that you do or you don’t. I don’t think it’s because of a lack of effort.”
McQueen, Gunn and Vernon now join Braden Brown and Austin Scholes as very key players who are on the sidelines for the Braves. Smith said he is hoping to have Brown back from a knee injury sustained in practice two weeks ago this week.
“We can’t hang our heads and pout,” he said. “If these kids can’t play, we just gotta go to the next guy.”
The Braves will now prepare for their Week Four matchup against American Leadership Academy Friday in Spanish Fork. The ALA Eagles are 1-2 this season and coming off a 33-7 loss to the South Summit Wildcats Friday at home.
If McQueen misses more time, Smith said he’s fortunate it’s still very early in the season and Stephens will have time to practice with the first-team offense and become more comfortable.
“Ben can be a good player,” he said. “More than anything, he just doesn’t have the reps. That’s nobody’s fault just doesn’t have the reps.”
The Braves are 1-2 through three games in 2011 and ailing. But there’s no time to panic, Smith said.
“The only thing we can do is get better,” he said. “We’ll keep working at it. I’m not going to quit, we’re not going to quit.”