Senior Jake Rice was a key contributor on the offensive line for the 2023 Tyrone Golden Eagles, starting nine games at the important left tackle position. But Rice’s biggest challenge was not on the football field. Toward the end of the season, Rice had to deal with a potentially serious neck injury and all the uncertainty that came with it.

Rice would have started last year, but missed the 2022 season because of a shoulder injury he suffered in basketball, so he was excited to enter the 2023 football season healthy.

The season was going well and the offensive line was improving each week. However, in Week 9 against Penns Valley, Rice was injured on a routine play.

“Mid-play someone grabbed the back of my shoulder pads then pulled me down and jumped on my back,” Rice said.

Rice immediately knew he was injured but was able to walk off the field under his own power. He didn’t play the rest of the game and couldn’t remember anything after that.

When he got home he had a pounding headache. Concerned about a concussion, his parents decided it was time to go to the doctor.

After examining Rice, the doctor feared that he might have something even more serious.

The doctor thought he may have suffered a neck injury, and placed him in a restrictive collar until they could fully diagnose the extent of the injury.

Over the next two weeks, he had several doctor appointments that caused him to miss multiple school days. Eventually, an MRI determined that he had three fractures at C7, T1, and T2 on his spine.

But in a surprising turn, the doctor also said that the injury had likely occurred a while back, as many as 12 weeks earlier, because it had already healed.

“I have no clue how or when that happened. I was shocked,” Rice said.

Rice had unknowingly played with a broken neck for the entire football season.

Despite the apparent healing, the doctors wanted to be cautious because of the location of the injury and recommended that he not return to contact sports right away.

With the playoff season coming up, it was then that he realized that he likely would not be able to finish his senior football season on the field.

Rice felt like he let his team down. His teammates did not see it that way but were disappointed that his season was over.

“Jake has worked so hard for the past two years and has really contributed to our team’s success,” said teammate Cohen Wallace. “We were all sad for him.”

His other teammates were also devastated when they found out that Jake wouldn’t be able to play anymore.

“I was crushed by it, knowing all the hard work he’s put in this year. Not being able to finish our senior season together really stings and it sucks for the other senior guys as well. The whole team feels his injury,” fellow senior Tony Hughes said.

Rice thought that the injury might also end his chances to wrestle his senior season, but after another consultation with an orthopedic specialist, he was cleared to participate in winter sports.

He still has issues with his neck but the doctors are confident that the fractures have healed.

Rice’s parents were concerned at first, but now that he has the clearance from doctors, they are excited that he will be able to participate in wrestling this winter and hope that he can put the injury behind him.

Rice says he plans to be a “JV demon” on this year’s wrestling squad.

Football and wrestling teammate Cohen Wallace is happy that Rice will be back.

“Jake is the ultimate locker room guy and I have no doubt that he will continue to be a great leader on the team,” said Wallace.

This story was originally published on Tyrone Eagle Eye News on November 16, 2023.