The celebration for Chase Brooks’ first career win as a high school head coach was a muted one Friday night.
A 41-19 win for East Robertson over White House Heritage was downplayed by two moments where Heritage players were taken off the playing field via ambulance.
“We hate it for the other team,” Brooks said. “They’re good guys over there. They’re cross-town rivals (but) they’re friends. A bunch of these kids grew up with those kids.”
Junior safety/running back Aidan Cottar collided with an East Robertson player on the home sideline and went down with an elbow injury late in the second quarter. The first of two ambulances on the night drove to midfield to transport him to a nearby hospital, and players and fans held a moment of silence after Cottar left the field.
A second Patriots player suffered an injury to his neck with 1:57 remaining in the contest. The player, a running back who first-year head coach Chad Broadrick declined to identify, was transported to Vanderbilt hospital after the game.
“Our No. 1 job in our program is to love each other, and the kids love each other,” Broadrick said. “Obviously I’m disappointed in the outcome of the game, but I’m very proud of who our kids are.
“I feel horrible for those kids. I’m about to go see them, and hopefully they’re both OK.”
Broadrick provided no further update on either player as of late Friday night. The unidentified athlete was reportedly released from the hospital Saturday with a shoulder injury and soreness.
Despite the two tragic plays, Brooks and his team still had opportunities to celebrate during the win.
East Robertson (1-1) used touchdown runs from Zech Prince and Isaiah Groves to take a 20-0 lead after the first quarter. The Indians scored on each of their first five drives and went into the break with a 34-point cushion.
“What we preach all the time is we know (the players) have it in them,” Brooks said. “They came out and showed it tonight. They showed their dominance and how good we can be in a short time period.”
Brooks said getting players like Shaun Groves, Elijah Groves and Miller Cothron healthy for Friday’s rivalry was a big factor compared to Week 1’s 44-33 loss to Macon County.
Getting a trio of touchdowns from Isaiah Groves – who followed up last week’s 192-yard rushing performance with a first-half hat trick – helped too.
“He’s just a special kid,” Brooks said of the sophomore. “He never gets tired. He’s always 100 miles per hour. We have to slow him down sometimes to make sure he’s seeing things and that he’s drinking (water). He just wants to go 100 miles per hour all the time.”
Running back Dontarrius Teasley scored all three of Heritage’s touchdowns, the last of which being a 53-yard scamper that closed out scoring for both teams.
“DT’s a great kid,” Broadrick said. “He’s done good since I’ve been here, so we’re not surprised by that at all.”
Depth at the tailback spot will be a question for the Patriots (0-2) entering next week’s game at Franklin-Simpson (Ky.). Senior Colby Hulsey sported a walking boot on the sideline against East Robertson, and both recently injured players saw time at the running back position.
“We’ve lost all of our depth everywhere,” Broadrick said. “Kids have to step up, and they will. There’s just been a lot of injuries in the first two games, so we have to keep battling.
“At this point, I think we have just one varsity running back. Somebody has to develop in that role as a No. 2, and we’ll find that person this week.”
Heritage will get its next-to-last taste of non-region action in next week’s game, while East Robertson will open Region 4-1A play at Trousdale County.
East Robertson 41, White House Heritage 19
E 20, 14, 0, 7 – 41
W 0, 0, 12, 7 – 19
Scoring Summary
First quarter
E – Zech Prince 5-yard run (8:46). Elijah Groves kick.
E – Isaiah Groves 1-yard run (4:40).
E – Collin Cook 25-yard pass to Prince (0:01). Elijah Groves kick.
Second quarter
E – Isaiah Groves 20-yard run (11:04). Zech Prince successful two-point attempt
E – Isaiah Groves 33-yard run (3:38). Elijah Groves kick.
Third quarter
W – Dontarrius Teasley 23-yard run (2:53).
W – Dontarrius Teasley 34-yard run (2:25). Two-point try fails.
Fourth quarter
E – Collin Cook 33-yard pass to Shaun Groves (10:10). Elijah Groves kick.
W – Dontarrius Teasley 53-yard run (9:52). Zanyar Omar kick.
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