HASKELL, Texas – The Anson Tigers and Haskell Indians played 47 minutes of physical, hard-hitting high school football Friday night.
With time winding down late in the fourth quarter of a back-and-forth, one-score game, Haskell forced a pivotal turnover on downs with 63 seconds remaining.
The stadium went wild and the Indians’ sideline erupted in applause.
Moments later, though, spectators could hear a pin drop as the crowd at Indian Field went silent.
The energy was sucked out of the stadium when supporters on both sides realized Haskell sophomore Matthew Williams was down on the field and slow to get up. Haskell was taken to a local hospital via medflight, but his condition is improving.
According to an update post from the Haskell Athletic Boosters Facebook page, Williams is reportedly awake, aware and regaining feeling throughout his body.
“Matthew is upright and moving around, his scans are clear, and doctors are continuing to monitor him for a spine concussion. There is still a road ahead, so please don’t stop praying. We believe God is not finished yet. We love you Bear. Your army is behind you,” read the post.
“I mean, I don’t know exactly what we’re dealing with. I hope it’s better than what we may expect, but I don’t know,” Haskell head football coach Creighton Henderson said moments after the injury.
“Bear (Williams) was up there working his butt off, you know. He caused a fourth-down stop, gave us a chance to win the football game and put it all on the line.”
Athletic trainers and medical staff rushed onto the field to check on Williams, who was injured on the game-changing play.
Facing fourth-and-23 at their own 35-yard line, the Tigers elected to roll the dice with a 48-44 lead and faked a punt to try to pick up a victory-clinching first down on the trick play.
Anson sophomore Grayson Feagan fielded a deep snap, faked a punt and then took off running toward the sideline and the first-down marker.
A swarm of Indians defenders collided with Feagan along the sideline, formed a pile and pushed the Tigers’ quarterback out of bounds near midfield a few yards shy of a first down.
Williams ended up at the bottom of the dogpile along the Indians’ sideline, where he was unable to stand up after the play.
“It’s fourth down and their quarterback was running down the sideline trying to get a first down,” Henderson said. “Bear met him about a few yards short and made a head-to-head hard tackle on the sideline. That’s about all I can say.”
Both teams returned to their respective sidelines while athletic trainers from both schools attended to Williams on the field where he had been injured.
A Haskell County ambulance, which had been stationed behind the end zone, pulled onto the field as Williams was initially secured onto an EMS backboard, placed onto a stretcher and moved into the back of the ambulance.
EMS staff on scene, however, soon advised that Williams needed to be taken from the field directly to the hospital in an air ambulance via helicopter.
About 75 minutes after suffering his injury, Williams was transported alongside his family by an emergency medical helicopter from Indian Field in Haskell to the Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene for further medical evaluation.
Henderson and Anson head football coach Kyle Wheeler met at midfield with the officials following the air ambulance’s departure and mutually agreed to cancel the remainder of Friday night’s game.
The game ended with 63 seconds remaining following Henderson and Wheeler’s mutual agreement to call the game early, as Anson recorded a 48-44 victory in the process.
Both teams gathered in a circle postgame to pray for Williams and his wellbeing.
“We just have to keep our heads up. We got to plug through it, and somehow, some way, it’s going to be better for (us),” Henderson said. “Well luckily we have an open week (coming up), so we got some time to let it soak in and recover. But you know, our kids are resilient. We’ll see how things go.”
Anson (2-2) will return to action next week when the Tigers host the Breckenridge Buckaroos (0-4) in their non-district finale at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25, at Tiger Stadium in Anson.
Haskell (2-2) will have a bye week to process and rebound from the heartbreaking finish to Friday’s game before the Indians return to action to kick off District 6-2A DII play against the Electra Tigers (0-3) at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, at Indian Field in Haskell.
Williams was flown via a second air ambulance from Abilene’s Hendrick Medical Center to Fort Worth’s Cook Children’s Medical Center to undergo further medical assessment.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Anson-Haskell high school football game ended early following serious injury
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