Blazer is hospitalized from capture the flag

A Blair freshman was seriously injured during A lunch on Friday, November 22 after being tackled and accidentally kneed in the ribs. The student was playing capture the flag behind the school when he was injured.

Upon the impact, freshman Robert Hendryx lacerated his kidney. He toughed it out for the remainder of fifth period, but during his seventh period class, he felt short of breath and nauseated. A trip to the nurse led to the Shady Grove emergency room, which led to an airlifted trip to Children's Hospital. After the surgery on November 22, Hendryx recovered and may be back at school before winter break.

Hendryx has played capture the flag consistently throughout the year. This activity became full-contact only recently, altering from touch to tackle.

Hendryx acquired this injury from junior Keith Costanzo, whom Hendryx tackled, causing Costanzo to fall over him. Afterwards, he offered Hendryx assistance, but Hendryx assured Costanzo that he was alright and continued playing. "I didn't know I hurt him badly," said Constanzo. "He said he had some trouble breathing, but that he was fine and didn't want to go to the nurse."

This is not the first accident has occurred from capture the flag here at Blair. Earlier this year, freshman Sean O'Brien was taken and dislocated his shoulder.

O'Brien, who now wears a splint on his arm, was hurt when taken down from behind in a game of tackle capture the flag. O'Brien and his tackler fell on his arm, causing the dislocation.

Capture the flag organizer junior Josh Gottlieb-Miller believes that these injuries, although unfortunate, are uncommon and being taken care of. "As soon as we realized that kids were getting hurt, we stopped playing tackle."

Some wonder why students played tackle at all. Freshman Joe Lorenz believes that this method is simply more exciting. "Tackles make it more fun and intense." Lorenz plays routinely, regardless of the possible reprimands that tackle capture the flag may have in store. "[Tackle] is definitely more dangerous, especially with the different sizes of the people playing."

Currently, tackle capture the flag has been put on an indefinite hiatus, and regular tag-play capture the flag is being played. There have been no injuries thus far at Blair resulting from tag-play capture the flag.