Injury marrs conclusion of Christian Brothers-Vista del Lago high school football game

The finish to a thrilling football game at Christian Brothers High School ended with a sobering injury Friday night in Sacramento.

At the end of a pass reception near the goal line, Christian Brothers sophomore tight end Mason Vicari was hit and knocked unconscious with 20 seconds remaining against Vista del Lago in a Capital Athletic League contest. Vicari was down for about 20 minutes before being taken away by ambulance to a hospital. It was said by Christian Brothers leaders he was in and out of consciousness during his time on the ground. He was also said to be moving his hands.

Christian Brothers coach Larry Morla tweeted Saturday morning that Vicari was home and doing fine. Morla confirmed the injury was a concussion.

Wrote Morla in a text to The Bee on Saturday, “Scary moment. I’ve never experienced such a sudden change in emotions.”

Players on both teams were visibly emotional after the dramatic change in atmosphere. There wasn’t much celebration for Vista del Lago despite a gritty 45-40 win. After a raucous atmosphere as Christian Brothers drove for a would-be game-winning score, the stadium fell silent with Vicari on the turf. Once Vicari was wheeled away on a back board to the ambulance at the front of the school, both teams gathered at midfield to pray. Vista del Lago players and coaches offered well wishes to Christian Brothers.

“I thought they did a great job responding as soon as we realized the situation,” Vista del Lago coach Kyle Landes said. “The first words out of our kids’ mouths were ‘Is he OK.’ To be able to get our teams together in the middle is what football is all about.”

He added, “Fortunately, I have never seen anything (like this). I hope this is the last time I see it. I’m going to be checking in with coach (Christian Brothers coach Larry Morla) over the weekend to see how that young man is doing. I hope the best for him and his family.”

Vista del Lago quarterback Jakob Hollinghaus added, “(The prayer) shows you what football really is. This is bigger than a game. We all want to work as hard as we can and win as many games as we can, but (coming together) and being there for others is what really matters.”

Hollinghaus added, “This was the most emotional swing in a game I’ve ever seen. Going down and thinking we are going to get scored on and then we stop them and an injury happens.”

After Vista del Lago led at halftime 24-20, Christian Brothers took its first lead since the first quarter on a 38-yard touchdown pass from Jake Elorduy to D.J. Crowther. Elorduy passed for 150 yards and had another touchdown pass to freshman Phillip Bell. Crowther played some downs at receiver but had an electric 37-yard touchdown run to give Christian Brothers a seven-point lead in the fourth.

Eagles running back Tyler Peterson was the star of the night. The senior rushed for 210 yards and had two touchdowns, including the game-winner with less than two minutes left. Hollinghaus passed for 170 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown strike to Nolan Goodwin in the second half.

Vista del Lago (6-3) closes out the regular season at home against Sacramento on Friday. Christian Brothers (5-4) will travel to face Del Campo.

This story was originally published October 23, 2021 at 4:41 AM.