LITTLE ROCK — A Star City High School football player who suffered a head injury Thursday night remains in critical condition after being transferred from Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock on Sunday.
Zack Towers, 17, a senior linebacker for the Bulldogs, was playing in their regular season finale against Crossett in Star City when Coach Blair Brown said Towers “lost his balance” as he returned to the defensive huddle after a play in the third quarter.
Towers was taken from Star City to Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff where he underwent brain surgery that night, and was transferred to Little Rock this afternoon.
“The family is very optimistic,” Brown said Sunday, after he spent part of the day with the family at the Pine Bluff hospital. “And they are overwhelmed by the love and the support from the state and all over the nation. This has been an amazing testament for the love of their son.”
Towers played Thursday after being held out for two games because he complained of headaches. Brown said Towers was never diagnosed with a concussion, but was cleared to play by a doctor and Brown said the school and family followeda protocol passed by the Arkansas Activities Association this summer for how to deal with concussions.
“I don’t know if [the previous injury] contributed or not,” Brown said. “I just know that they were with full knowledge and we were with full knowledge.”
Members of Crossett’s football team visited Towers in Pine Bluff and a student-organized candlelight vigil was held at Star City’s football stadium on Friday night attended by about 500people. Brown has since received phone calls and text messages from “hundreds of coaches.”
“We’re all in this kind of thing together,” Brown said. “We’re in the kid business. We all fight to win ballgames, but what it all comes down to is it’s really irrelevant.”
Zack Towers’ older brother, Ty, is a sophomore quarterback at Ouachita Baptist and played Saturday against Southern Arkansas after posting on his Twitter page that he was “balling out for Zack” and that he would “score two touchdowns for him.”
Ty Towers led OBU with 62 yards rushing on 12 carries- and he scored two touchdowns.
Ouachita Baptist Coach Todd Knight, who is from Star City, spent part of his post-game speech to his team following its 44-28 loss in Arkadelphia discussing Zack Towers.
“[Ty] has been a great example to our team, our coaches, our fans, our school and how to react when things are tough,” Knight said. “Right now, we’re praying for Zack, Ty, the parents, everybody involved with the family. They’re in a tough situation. We’re hoping Zack can fight through with what’s going on.”
Sports, Pages 13 on 11/05/2012