By CONOR NICHOLL-Hays Daily News
OSBORNE -- Early in the 2009 season, Osborne's Dylan Spears picked up a stinger in his shoulder, a very common football injury that involves a stretch or compression of the brachial plexus, a system of nerves that involve the back, neck, shoulder and arms. The next practice, Spears felt the same sensation and had it checked.
"Ended up as nerve damage," he said. "Just was kind of a freak accident."
Spears' year was finished after he collected six tackles in two games. In addition, he couldn't play a winter sport because of the injury. Spears couldn't lift heavy weights until April but did run track in the spring. Still, he was uncertain whether he could play football this fall. Bulldog football coach Cullen Riner prepared for the season without Spears, a 6-foot-1, 165-pound senior team captain and tight end/defensive end.
"The only thing that he knew what was wrong, (was) he couldn't lift his arm up," Riner said. "There was not a lot of pain involved with it, but there was not any nerve function."
Spears, though, was cleared to play football in the first week of practice.
"I hoped that I would be (cleared), but it was not 100 percent," he said. "... I love the game and I am just glad that I got to come back for my senior season and play again."
On Friday, he made five tackles, including a critical play late in the fourth quarter, as the Bulldogs opened the season with a 46-42 home victory over Downs-Lakeside. Riner called Spears a "bonus" for the squad, while senior linebacker/running back Jakob Demars said Spears "played really well."
"He has been to a lot of people to try to get things worked out and he is 100 percent," Riner said. "He is able to do things. He has really worked and he is going to be very good for us this year."
On the game's final drive, Lakeside had moved into Bulldog territory and faced a third-and-10 at Osborne's 27-yard line. Lakeside ran a screen pass to senior Connor Storer.
Three Bulldogs, Spears, junior Damon Schurr and sophomore Tyler Emerson, tackled Weis for a six-yard loss. Lakeside threw incomplete on the next play and the Bulldogs ran out the clock for the victory.
"(Spears) is just a baller," Riner said. "The kid has faced so much adversity through injuries and being a little undersized, (but) he finally started growing. He works his butt off. He is just a tough kid and he is one of them that will fight no matter what the situation. I was really glad to see him have a little success. Now he had some messups that we are going to have to fix, but will fix them because he wants to fix them."
