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Monday, October 6, 2008
Fayetteville's Hammer Out 1-3 Weeks
Western Arkansas, AR
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By: Mike Capshaw
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Photo(s) By: Will Flowers
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“They said I at least wouldn’t get to play this Friday, but it really depends on how fast it heals after that,” Hammer said. “It could be one to two or even three games, but hopefully by next week, I’ll be ready to go.
“I just don’t ant to come back too fast and rush it before it’s healed.”
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Just when it looks like things couldn’t get any worse for the Fayetteville Bulldogs, the defending state champions learned they’ll be without their star player when they host Fort Smith Northside on Friday.
Cody Hammer, a two-way player who was last year’s state championship game Most Valuable Player, will miss Friday’s game with a severe high- and low-ankle sprain. He coudl be out even longer, but will be back in action this season.
The news could have been much worse as trainers originally feared he had fractured his ankle during last week’s 55-27 loss at Springdale.
“They didn’t really know what it was at first,” Hammer said. “They thought it was sprained really bad or fractured. I was kind of worried because it really hurt, but didn’t know what to expect because I had never broke my ankle.”
Hammer, a 6-foot, 223-pound senior linebacker, had been averaging more than 15 tackles per game and was used sparingly as a running back, averaging nearly 7 yards per carry. Last season, it was Hammer rushing for more than 300 combined yards in wins against Bentonville in the semifinals and Springdale Har-Ber in the championship game that paved the way for the program’s first state championship in 103 years.
Hammer said Friday’s Battle of the Bulldogs “was a very physical game” that saw several players, including Springdale quarterback Ashton Glaser and Fayetteville tackle Colby Berna, suffer injuries.
“I was running and the guy was running my way,” Hammer said. “I turned around and then cut and then someone was blocked into me and landed on top of me and I just heard it pop.”
Fayetteville has lost three straight games and should Hammer miss more than one game, a return trip to the state playoffs could be in jeopardy with the Bulldogs next three games against Fort Smith Southside, Rogers and Springdale Har-Ber, the team they beat in last year’s title game.
“They said I at least wouldn’t get to play this Friday, but it really depends on how fast it heals after that,” Hammer said. “It could be one to two or even three games, but hopefully by next week, I’ll be ready to go.
“I just don’t ant to come back too fast and rush it before it’s healed.”
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