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Old Wed Mar 03, 2004, 01:37pm
FHSUref FHSUref is offline
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Stover to cheer on team after serious arm injury
3-2-04
By JAN KATZ ACKERMAN and DIANE GASPER-O'BRIEN
Hays Daily News

COLBY — Shane Stover hopes to be back with his Colby High School teammates tonight, a week after suffering a season-ending injury.

Although he won't be playing, Stover still wants to be a part of the team when it begins postseason action.

Colby (15-5) will play host to Goodland in a 7 p.m. game at the Colby Community Building, in first-round action of the Class 4A Ulysses sub-state.

Stover, a 6-foot-2 senior forward for the Eagles, was lost for the season when he severely cut his left arm in a game Feb. 24 at Norton.

Stover was diving for an out-of-bounds ball during a game at Norton when his arm went through a window in a door of the gym, and the broken glass severed an artery.

“I tipped the ball and saved it, and my momentum kept me going into the door,” Stover said. “I guess I pulled it back out (of the window). ... I didn't even feel it at the time. I turned around to get ready to clap, and blood started squirting all over.”

People with medical and first aid training contained the bleeding from Stover's arm until local emergency medical technicians arrived to take him to a hospital in Kearney, Neb., for surgery.

Fog prevented air transportation, so Stover was taken by ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.

Stover came home last week and will return to Kearney Friday for his first visit with the surgeon who will monitor the rehabilitation of his arm.

He has yet to return to school but was able to watch practice Monday and plans to attend tonight's game.

“I listened to the girls' game last night on the radio,” Stover said this morning. “But I want to go to tonight's game to watch.”

While Stover admits it's a disappointing end to his senior season, he said the prognosis for getting back full use of his arm and hand is optimistic.

“He's doing pretty good, but it's going to be a long road to recovery,” said Stover's mom, Lori. “Shane has desires to play college ball, and we are doing everything we can now to look toward the future.”

Stover said he has had contact with some colleges about playing basketball next year. But for now, he's concentrating on recovering — and watching his teammates.

“I want to cheer them on,” said Stover, who was averaging 18 points a game, “and hopefully, we'll have more games after tonight.”

Norton USD 211 Superintendent Greg Mann said the doors in Norton's gym have been in place since the mid-1970s and this is the first time there has been an incident with the doors during a game.

He said the district is evaluating the style of doors. The glass was considered appropriate so that people could see who was coming in and out of the lobby.

The glass in the damaged doorway, which takes up about half of the door, has been replaced
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