Sean Harrison will not be able to finish his junior year of high school football at Paloma Valley in California. He suffered a torn ACL on a late hit out of bounds.
The unfortunate incident was caught on camera.
Even if the high school football player who made the late hit was not trying to hurt anyone, he did. It was not good.
Paloma Valley lost starting running back Sean Harrison to a torn ACL.
Paloma Valley High School is located in Menifee, California. Menifee is located on the other side of the Santa Ana Mountains from Los Angeles. It enrolls approximately 2,500 students in Grades 9-12. The Wildcats compete in Division 4 of the CIF Southern Section as members of the Sunbelt League.
They are off to a 4-1 start in 2026 with only one loss by one point in Week 2. It could be a special year.
Unfortunately, Paloma Valley lost starting running back Sean Harrison for the season. Fortunately, back up running back Nathan Ayala stepped up in his absence with 58 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries in a 10-point win over Liberty on Friday.
Harrison is still a big loss. He led the team with 86 rushing yards per game and four total touchdowns through the first four weeks. The Wildcats relied on him for a heavy workload as a ball-carrier. They also use him on defense.
To make matters worse, the injury was a freak accident. Harrison tore his ACL by running into the kicking net on the sideline.
A late hit out of bounds ended his high school football season.
Sean Harrison suffered his season-ending injury during the game against Silverado. He took a carry to the left side and ran toward the sideline. He stepped out of bounds right at the first-down marker and the official blew the play dead.
However, the Hawks defender made contact from behind after Harrison’s foot had already stepped onto the sideline. The late hit kept his momentum moving forward. He was unable to stop himself before he ran directly into the kicking net.
Last Friday night I got late hit out of bounds and ran into the kicking net..and found out today I tore my ACL. College Coach’s I will be back and I will be better. Keep an eye out for me! Thanks for everyone that reached out. pic.twitter.com/Kaj7C1coWG
— Sean Harrison/Football/Uncommitted2028 (@SeanHarrison37) September 25, 2026
First and foremost, whoever put the kicking net that close to the sideline put the players at risk of this exact scenario. And then you factor in the late hit. Even though it did not seem malicious, the extra push on the backend of the play led to the injury. Bummer.