A high school football team in Kentucky will be without one of its leading tacklers for the next few games. St. Xavier linebacker Ben Pinkston broke his arm during a scary incident at a soccer game on Thursday night.
Multiple students were transported to the hospital after a railing suddenly collapsed.
The impact of this collapse extends far beyond the soccer team. It also caused injuries to spectators and to one of the best players on the high school football team.
A railing collapsed after St. Xavier beat Trinity in soccer.
90 minutes was not enough time to determine a winner between St. X and Trinity during the Seventh Region Boy’s Soccer Tournament semifinal on Thursday. The former beat the latter in penalty kicks.
It was an electric. All of the players ran over to the stands at Waggener High School to celebrate.
Unfortunately, the jubilation very quickly turned to fear when a railing collapsed. Three students were transported to the hospital by ambulance. At least three others were taken by their parents.
Parents of the St. X students have since hinted at the idea of a lawsuit. There are a lot of questions about the decision-making process for high school playoff games in the Louisville area and in Kentucky.
Some people believe there should be a site visit system before a specific location is officially selected because not every stadium is prepared for such an influx of fans. Others blame the security team (or lack thereof) for not keeping the students off of the rail.
Regardless of who or what is at fault, the incident resulted in multiple injuries.
A high school football player was caught in the pileup.
St. Xavier has two games left in the regular season. The Tigers currently sit at 5-3 overall and 2-0 in the Kentucky Class 6A District 3. They control their destiny.
Two more wins will guarantee a spot in the playoffs. Just one loss could put them on the outside looking in.
If the stakes were not high enough, St. X will be without outside linebacker Ben Pinkston for at least another week. He suffered a broken arm below the elbow during the railing collapse. A timeline for his return is currently unclear. He will likely wear a club whenever he does get back on the field.
The Tigers won 4-7 in their first game without Pinkston on Friday and their next two opponents share a combined record of 6-10 so they should be just fine. However, it would be a huge loss for the defense if Pinkston cannot return in time for the playoffs— assuming they get there.
All because of the railing collapse.