Texas high school football game canceled after scary player injury

Few things are bigger than high school football in Texas, but on Thursday night, the Edinburgh and Brownsville Hanna squads experienced something much more important in the midst of a scary injury on the field.

The non-district game between the two schools was paused in the third quarter after Golden Eagles junior quarterback Albert Chavez was taken off the field in an ambulance. Soon after, they decided to cancel the game instead of continuing to play.

The young signal-caller was sacked midway through the period, but was unable to get up after the play and was eventually taken off the field on a stretcher. Edinburg head coach Joe Pena and Hanna head coach Marc Guess then came together and jointly decided they wouldn’t play the rest of the game with Edinburgh leading 15-0.

For Pena, there was no question the teams made the correct decision.

“One of the things we talk about every day is that there are things in life more important than football,” Pena said after the game was called. “Right now we asked our team to join in a prayer for him, to help that family, that team and the staff they put together.”

After the game, RGVSports reported that Hanna had been released from the hospital after a series of tests.

“Hanna quarterback Albert Chavez was released from the hospital about 2 a.m. Friday after suffering a neck injury,” Guess said in a statement provided to RGVSports. “He was taken to DHR Hospital where he was evaluated thoroughly for his injury. Thankfully, all of the X-rays and CT scans came back negative for any cervical fractures. He is walking, but still is very sore. Albert’s parents would like to express their gratitude for all of the prayers, and that they believe God heard every one of them.”

Edinburgh moves to 2-1 with the victory, while Hanna dropped to 0-3. But with Chavez in good health, they got a bigger victory than anything that could’ve happened on the field.