From where he was standing last Friday, surrounded by friends and other Marion County fans near midfield on the visitors' sideline, Dewayne Walters began cheering the familiar sight of his son Logan breaking loose for a big gain.
On the next-to-last play of the third quarter, the younger Walters - who was having an all-state caliber season as quarterback for the Warriors - picked up a first down to begin a drive toward a potential tying score against Boyd-Buchanan in a battle of the state's two top-ranked Class 2A teams.
But after a Boyd-Buchanan defender's helmet collided with his, Logan tried to stand but went back down to one knee and then fell face-first into the mud. Like the thousands who had filled the stands on both sides, Dewayne fell silent and felt a lump in his throat as what had been a swirl of noise and energetic atmosphere that makes high school football special suddenly was overtaken by expressions of concern and eerie silence.
Players, fans and coaches on both sides bowed their heads, and even the crew of officials gathered on the field, removed their caps and prayed for Logan, who continued to lie prone and motionless as trainers and paramedics attended to him.
Dewayne eventually made his way onto the field for a scene that is every parent's worst nightmare. The next half hour would feel like the longest of his life.
"He was knocked out cold for about seven minutes or so," Dewayne said. "I've seen him get hit hard, but that's the first time I saw him stay down. Once he did finally start responding a little to the trainers, he said he couldn't feel anything. My heart started racing and my mind was going all over the place thinking how bad it could be.
"It was the scariest thing I've ever gone through. I wouldn't wish that feeling on my worst enemy."
It was more than 25 minutes before paramedics were able to strap the 6-foot-2, 195-pound senior onto a stretcher and load him into a waiting ambulance, but even then he insisted that his entire body was tingling and he had movement only in his toes and fingers.
"He wasn't able to really move his arms or legs until a little while after they got him in the ambulance," Dewayne said. "He described it as feeling like a full-body stinger. After we got to the hospital, the CT scan and MRI showed no swelling and the doctor diagnosed him with a Grade-3 concussion."
According to the American Academy of Neurology, there are two types of Grade-3 concussions. One is when a person loses consciousness for a few seconds; more severe is when there is a loss of consciousness for several minutes like Logan experienced. The recommendation for people who suffer the more severe concussion is one to six months of no physical activity.
Although he has played football, basketball and baseball since the peewee level, this was the first concussion Logan had suffered. He's been recruited by several colleges in both football and baseball. Like most teenage athletes he felt invincible before last week's blow, and such a recommendation to stay clear of competition, for any amount of time, seems like an eternity.
But with the added national attention that has been brought to football-related concussions, and the long-term effects they can leave, Logan's dad and Warriors coach Ricky Ross both said they would rely completely on the recommendation of doctors to determine whether he will return to the field this season.
Wednesday was the first day since the hit that Logan could remember his own birthday and was able to sleep through the night without throwing up repeatedly. He admitted that his entire body is still sore, like being involved in a car wreck, and he's suffering from migraines and bouts of dizziness.
He won't return to school for another week and was advised by local orthopedist Dr. Gary Voytik not even to go to tonight's game because the noise from the crowd and the band could affect him.
"He's a senior and said he's determined to get back out there to play again," Dewayne said. "According to what the doctors have told us, the timetable looks like he could possibly be cleared by the last game or maybe the playoffs. That would be a month from the hit, but that's the best-case scenario.
"We'll talk about that when the time comes. Right now, we're just thankful to the good Lord that he's OK."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.