Injuries mounting to Southwestern Conference playmakers

The Southwestern Conference injury bug continued to take its toll as two more of the top players in the league went down Friday.

The Granite City Warriors, off to a 2-0 start after impressive wins over Jerseyville and Carbondale, were dealt a severe blow when sophomore quarterback Freddy Edwards was injured while playing defensive back late in the first quarter of a 43-14 loss to Belleville East.

East St. Louis lost its third running back in as many weeks when sophomore DeMonta Witherspoon went down to an ankle injury in the first quarter of the Flyers’ 32-7 win over Edwardsville.

Edwards, who was 3-for-3 for 105 yards and two touchdowns, suffered an injury to his right arm with Belleville East holding a 16-14 lead. Edwards had the arm immobilized and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. He did not return.

When reached by telephone Sunday, Granite City coach Carl Luehmann couldn’t tell the extent of the injury

“We’re doing as well as expected. Freddy came to practice on Saturday with his arm in a sling,” Luehmann said. “His parents were going to take him to their family doctor on Monday or Tuesday and so we’ll know after that. It’s just very unfortunate that it had to happen.

“(Running back) Jerry Watson has a great game on Friday and with him and Freddy, we have a nice combination. We’ll know more in the next day or so.”

The Southwestern Conference already had lost two of its biggest playmakers for the season. East St. Louis running back Jarrell Anderson went down to torn ACL and Edwardsville running back Dionte Rodgers is out following shoulder surgery.

East Side also was without fullback Charlando Robinson, who was on the sideline in street clothes Friday. His status is uncertain.

This story was originally published September 12, 2017 at 1:37 PM with the headline "Injuries mounting to Southwestern Conference playmakers."