Pac-Five’s Makana Bertelmann fractured his leg on Friday night in the first quarter of a 27-7 win over McKinley. It took almost an hour between the injury occurring and the ambulance tending to him before play resumed again.
“That’s the thing that I don’t like about football — those bad injuries. That’s part of the game but I can never get used to it,” Pac-Five head coach Kip Botelho said. “It was tough for our kids to get going after that but we told them they had to play. Play for Makana now.”
Part of the reason why it was hard for the team to get warm again was because both sides were unsure when they would get back on the field. There were murmurs in the crowd and the press box about the lack of an available ambulance, adding to the stigma that kids are not the first priority in some situations.
“We wanted to keep them loose because we knew we had to play,” Botelho said. “It was still the first quarter, so we had to get their minds right.”
In the meantime, Wolfpack coaches said they’ll miss Bertelmann’s two-way versatility on a team that depends on many to play on both sides of the ball. The junior also plays baseball for Mid-Pacific.
Pac-Five went against what it normally does and chewed up 199 rushing yards to grind out a victory. Kaikea Gonsales rushed for 109 yards — with 81 coming on a touchdown run in the first quarter.
AJ Ulufale added a 10-yard TD run and caught a short touchdown pass from Tyler Fukuroda, who finished 6-for-12 for 85 yards.
Wish the young man a speedy recovery. Myself as a coach…you really hate seeing those critical injuries. We can emphasize safety for hours during chalk talk, in practice, and games. But it takes just one moment where things turn around dramatically.
Prayers for you young man. I wish you the best and a healthy recovery Makana!