By Jannah Kalai
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UH Manoa commit and Quarterback Senior McKenzie Milton was injured at the Sept. 26 varsity football game against the Kailua Surfriders, but has high hopes for his return in time for the state championships, which is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 21. Hurt in the first quarter of the game, he tried to ignore the pain for the sake of the team, but eventually had to remove himself as the adrenaline wore off and the physical side-effects began to show. Diagnosed with a Grade III acromioclavicular (AC) joint separation, surgery will not be required.
“It’s tough to leave the game with your brothers still out there, fighting for the same thing, but right now I just have to do my job as a leader and help them get ready for their games, whether it’s just giving them pointers, I just have to be a leader, a vocal leader, instead of playing right now. But when I can come back, I’ll do whatever I can do,” stated Milton.
An AC joint separation is a frequent injury among sports players, generally among contact athletes. It is most commonly caused by a fall directly on the point of the shoulder blade. Grade III is one of the more severe graded shoulder separations, in which the coracoclavicular (CC) and AC ligaments are disrupted leading to separation of the joint, noticeably putting the shoulder joint out of position. “We called a time-out, went back in for one more play, and then that was it,” Milton said. “I took off my pads and my shoulder was sticking out an inch or two.” Teresa Milton, McKenzie Milton’s mother, added, “My concern was him and his heart being broken because he is all about the team, he’s all about the win, he cares about everyone on that team.”
The injury came not only as a surprise to McKenzie Milton, but those who witnessed it as well. “I think (Head Coach Rod York and my teammates) were just in shock, because they’re so (used) to playing with me. But even after, they started rolling, and they ended up getting the win, so they’re doing all right, right now, so it was good to see that. I think they were just feeding off the energy, and the guys did a great job of leading the team,” said McKenzie Milton.
Among the stands and the crowd of Mililani’s shocked supporters were McKenzie Milton’s parents. “As a parent of a football player I thought it was a head injury or spine, and that he couldn’t walk,” Teresa Milton stated, “So in the end, when I got down to him, it was a relief that he was walking and talking to me—it was overwhelming.” Mark Milton, McKenzie Milton’s father, added, “I knew something was wrong, very wrong, because McKenzie can handle a lot of pain. As an athlete, he has a high pain tolerance level, so I knew something was up, and when he took the pads off and I saw the bulge out of his shoulder, I knew it was a real problem.”
A topic that is coming to light through the media more and more every year is the physical repercussions and unforeseen dangers of football—arguably one of the highest, if not the highest, of any contact sport. But McKenzie Milton takes the game as an opportunity to grow, rather than a risk. “You can get hurt doing anything. Us, (playing) football, we’re just living life and I don’t regret anything, or getting hurt. It happens, it’s part of the game. I’m very grateful I didn’t have a brain injury, or a back injury, and that I can still walk. I guess it’s a blessing in disguise that it was only my shoulder,” said McKenzie Milton. Teresa Milton said, “It’s really important that football doesn’t define him, and this injury is going to help develop him and his character as a leader, for whatever the future is. He had to learn how to be a different kind of player, a coach to the players, a mentor, and a good sport. It’s just a process to watch him.”
With a future at UH Manoa, McKenzie Milton is looking forward to upcoming opportunities. “I probably want to major in business and minor in communications because I want to be a sports commentator, but I’m not too sure yet,” McKenzie Milton stated. Mark Milton added, “At the end of the day everyone has been supportive of McKenzie—it’s a team game and we hope that the kids play well in the next few weeks, that they do everything they can to try and win another state championship.”
Taking McKenzie Milton’s place momentarily as substitute quarterbacks are Freshman Dillon Gabriel and Sophomore Kaysen Higa. In terms of his return to the field, there is not a set date or week yet, but McKenzie Milton stresses that this is a minor speed bump and that he’ll be back in no time.
