Emphasizing safety

There were a few chairs nearby, but Jeremiah Andrade couldn’t sit.

For the first time in his young football life, the shifty Leilehua receiver was sidelined. He still had his road white jersey on, but from the press box at Kapolei High School’s field, all he could do was watch with some of the Mules’ coaching staff.

"I was on my toes a lot," he said after a close win on Friday.

Andrade and teammate Russell Siavii both suffered concussions in a season-opening 34-all tie with Service (Alaska) eight days earlier. Siavii’s injury was relatively minor and he was back on the field for the Kapolei game. Andrade, however, did not pass the testing process administered by school trainers. He’ll be out at least one more week unless he can clear more testing.

With mounting evidence indicating that head injuries — concussions — lead to permanent brain damage and even death, it seems nothing can prevent football head injuries at any level. Technology has not kept up with the bigger, faster, stronger athlete.

Andrade had a superb junior season, catching 53 passes, and is among the top returnees in the state this fall. But his injury has put everything on hold, mainly because of the concussion detection system, which was implemented as a new policy last year. Six schools on Oahu were used as pilot programs.

"I failed the concussion test. It’s a six-part test with all kinds of words and patterns that you have to remember," Andrade said.

Trainers compare new test results with pretest numbers taken when student-athletes are in their freshman and junior seasons.

"There’s a reaction test with circles. If you fail any part of the test … you have to have 100 percent or you can’t play," Andrade said, noting that he got only one of the four problems correct. The second time Andrade took the test, he got three out of four right.

Ross Oshiro of the Hawaii Athletic Trainers Association considers the detection system in the DOE to be "one of the best."

"We’re using the imPACT program. There’s a balance test. The adults relate it to the DUI test, but it’s a little different. It’s called the Balance Error Scoring System," he said, noting that the pretesting is also known as the Baseline Test. Then comes treatment after the concussion.

"Once the kid gets concussed, if he shows any signs and symptoms of a concussion, from the national federation rules, the athlete is removed from the practice or play. The referee can also do that. It’s in the game rules as such," Oshiro said.

Though the system varies a bit from state to state, the reaction of athletes is universal.

"Kids will be frustrated, and they don’t understand at first. Parents have to learn the process, too," Oshiro said.

Andrade went through the normal emotions when he was forced to sit out.

"Honestly, I was kind of mad when I failed the test. I wanted to just play, but after talking to trainers and stuff, there’s a possibility that if I get hurt again, I could die. I said, ‘OK,’ just to be safe," he said.

The trainers weren’t exaggerating. Over the recent weekend, Damien quarterback/defensive back Alan Mohika went down with a severe concussion and lost consciousness in a game at Moanalua. Coach Eddie Klaneski said Mohika was not breathing and had no pulse. With no ambulance at the facility — budget costs have eliminated that luxury over the years — Nohea and Floyd Mohika were at wit’s end as they saw their son slowly drift away on the sideline.

"Alan was on the bench having these seizures and my husband was holding him," Nohea Mohika said. "He said, ‘I love you’ and he slipped right through my husband’s arms and fell to the ground. It keeps replaying through my husband’s mind. I was kind of like a crazy lady, telling our people to call an ambulance, call 911. I saw his eyes roll back. I’m trying to help him breathe through his mouth. I lost all my CPR skills because I was kind of going crazy at that point."

Mohika was admitted to the Queen’s Medical Center, where swelling and bleeding in the brain were monitored and treated. Since then, the strength of his parents has helped Mohika recover.

Nohea Mohika has been determined to be steady for her son.

"For me to fall is not good for my son. If I stand strong and stand tall, my son will stand right beside me," she said. "I don’t mind sharing our story because this is a learning thing. Football is a game to take serious, it really is. With the equipment some schools supply, not having a doctor on the field, it’s all so important. We put so many kids out to college and a lot of them pass through to the NFL, but our schools have to make sure they’re well equipped."

Learn more about the imPACT system at impacttest.com.