State's high schools are more serious about concussions suffered in football

SACRAMENTO — Two weeks ago, Jimmy Laughrea was zinging passes through Los Banos High's secondary, displaying the skills that earned the quarterback a scholarship offer from Boise State.

When the Rocklin quarterback got behind center last Friday against Oak Ridge, though, he couldn't remember much of anything — not even the play he called moments earlier in the huddle.

He had taken a hit early in the game, only to shrug it off as just one of many blows he had taken over the seasons.

But then he started forgetting plays, calling one in the huddle but running another at the line. He had no memory of the touchdown he threw in the fourth quarter that put his team back in the game.

Soon after, the 6-foot-2 senior was hunched behind the bench, vomiting into a trash can. A referee made the call — possible concussion — and Laughrea's night was done.

"We were down by a touchdown. It was the fourth quarter. I wanted to go back in," Laughrea said. "But it wasn't up to me."

Precisely. With heightened concern over brain injuries in high school sports, his plea to get back in went unheeded.

The California Inter- scholastic Federation, the state's governing body for high school athletics, has a rule in place this fall that orders on-field officials to bench players who show signs of a concussion.

If the game official believes a player has a concussion, he is supposed to consult with medical personnel or a trainer on site before making the call. An official's decision is final.

While coaches could always bench an athlete suspected of a concussion — Los Banos coach Dennis Stubbs sat quarterback Erik Martin an additional week last year after a concussion — the new rule puts the decision in the hands of game officials and doctors.

Making the call

Game officials make the on-field call, but it's up to a doctor to decide when a player is healthy. The rule requires a signed medical release before an athlete returns to action.

It took years for the National Football League and colleges to tackle the issue. Now, high schools want to show that they, too, are taking concussions and other brain-related injuries more seriously.

"It's no longer up to the student-athlete. It's about a medical professional determining the health of an athlete, not the kid who wants to get back in," said Jim Smrekar, athletic director for the Elk Grove Unified School District. "Gone are the days when you used to think, 'Suck it up. Get back in there.' "

A concussion results when the brain's soft tissue slams against the skull, often from a blow to the head or body. For young athletes, a severe blow can cause big damage to their still-developing brains, leading to learning disabilities and changes in behavior.

Difficult to spot

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates between 1.4 million and 3.6 million sports and recreation-related concussions occur each year, the majority of them in high school sports. Few schools track the injury, and many players are reluctant to admit they're hurt for fear of losing playing time.

Head injuries are often difficult to spot, said Dr. Gina Lokna, a sports medicine physician in the University of California at Davis Health System. Athletes "need to be checked often for subtle symptoms. We need to (let) kids and parents know they are better off taking a day off," she said.

The Sac-Joaquin Section held sessions to educate coaches, trainers and game officials about the new rules — and drill into them the warning signs of brain trauma.