FOOTBALL
Sidelined with a separated right collarbone, the senior quarterback is kicking extra points and trying to lead any way he can.
On Sept. 10, after Matt Cookson was knocked out of the game and taken to the hospital with what looked like a season-ending injury to his throwing shoulder, Morrisville football coach Jim Gober had every intention of stopping to see Cookson before going home.
Except he never had the chance.
"He beat us back to school from the hospital," Gober said. "His arm was all slinged up. You never know, with the ER, how long he's going to be there. But he was actually back at the school, waiting for us."
This was supposed to be Cookson's big year. A starter since he was a sophomore, when the Bulldogs installed a spread offense suited to his talents, Cookson had a big junior season, completing 104 passes for 1,738 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was all set for an even bigger senior year, and even threw for 447 yards and three TDs before suffering what has been diagnosed as a Grade 3 separation of his right collarbone in the season's second game.
And though he is likely out for the season, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Cookson has not stopped contributing for the 3-1 Bulldogs, who host independent Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter (2-1) tonight at 7 at Robert Morris Field.
Because a doctor told him he couldn't do any more damage to the shoulder, he perhaps unwisely lined up at wide receiver for a number of plays during the Dawgs' next game, and last week he made two extra points in their loss to Jenkintown.
"I was kind of an idiot," Cookson said. "I just went out there and assumed I was going to get surgery (which would have ended his season) and fix (the out-of-place bone). But when I went back to talk about my surgery, (the doctor) said not to rush it, take a couple weeks. So instead of taking contact, I'm just going to kick PATs, and hopefully in a few weeks, I can get more motion out of it and do other stuff."
Gober said Cookson has been at every practice but one since the injury, and that one absence was the result of a conflicting doctor's appointment. At every turn, he has been there to help his teammates, especially junior Eric Wilcox.
"He's handling it very, very well," Gober said. "He's very, very mature about the whole thing. He's here for his teammates and he's still leading as much as he can."
Cookson, whose ligaments around the shoulder were damaged, said he can "play catch" but can't yet throw a football hard. In the meantime, whether or not he ultimately has surgery, he is trying to make the most of the situation, even if it means having to try to walk on for a college next year.
While he won't rule out a return this year, Cookson is hoping to play baseball again in the spring.
"I've just accepted what happened," he said. "Everyone gets hurt. You can't pick or choose."
