Injuries leave ECHS searching for new quarterback
By CHRIS BARBEE cbarbee@leader-news.com

L-N Photo by Chris Barbee Out, For Now El Campo High quarterbacks Wes Condra (left) and Dakota Pietsch will need time to heal and rehabilitate after injuries took them off the field during predistrict play this season.

Ricebird senior quarterback Dakota Pietsch suffered a broken left clavicle early in the third quarter of the Wharton game Friday night. Combine that with the fact that his backup, Wes Condra, broke his collar bone during the Aug. 24 scrimmage with West Columbia, and you have a coaching staff wondering just who will be taking snaps two weeks from now when Brazosport comes to town for homecoming. El Campo has an open date this Friday.

"I guess we'll be quarterbacking by committee," Bob Gillis, head football coach and athletic director said Monday morning. A number of players will be looked at, including senior Tyler Woods (middle linebacker, kicker and punter), who replaced Pietsch in the third quarter, and sophomore defensive back Landon Appling (who has played some quarterback). There may be some more once we start practicing."

Good news for Pietsch and hopefully the Ricebirds is that the bone, while cracked in three places, did not break, which could speed the healing process.

Pietsch said Monday afternoon that he won't really know his status until Monday when the doctor sees new Xrays. "If the collar bone hasn't moved, then I won't need surgery," Pietsch said.

This isn't Pietsch's first rodeo with broken collar bones, but rodeoing had nothing to do with those earlier injuries. He said his right clavicle has broken three times. First time was during childbirth. Second time was at age 5 or 6 when his sister was chasing him and he ran into a sofa. Third time was at age 9 or 10 when, while running in the yard, he tripped over a hole.

Condra, who had surgery to put a plate on his broken clavicle to speed the healing process, said Monday he's been given the go-ahead to stop wearing his sling next week. At that point he'll begin physical therapy. He said he hopes he'll be released to play again before the regular season is out, but feels he could be ready to go should El Campo make the playoffs.

"It's healing and is looking good as far as I can tell," Gillis said of Condra's latest X-ray.

"Woods went into the game after Dakota got hurt and did a good job," Gillis said, noting that Woods led the team to two touchdowns.

"I normally don't like open weeks, but this may be a good time to have an open week. Like I tell our guys, it's open it's not off, because we will work out.

"It's also positive that we have one more non-district game before district (the homecoming game with Brazosport Oct. 5). So hopefully we'll iron out some of our questions this week and the next," Gillis said.

El Campo is fortunate, for the most part, to run a two-platoon system, meaning most players play either offense or defense most of the time and don't play both ways. But the new signal caller(s) could well have to play both ways since the leading candidates are defensive starters.

"They'll just have to step up and play. We've done it in the past, and we'll do it again," Gillis said.

"There's nobody going to feel sorry for El Campo, and we don't feel sorry for ourselves. We're going to go back to work and play."