Cole Gilley’s 37-yard pass to Cody Horner on the second play of the second half put Columbus East in position to extend its lead on Castle in Friday’s regional football contest, but it didn’t come without a temporary price.
Horner took a big hit on the play and was down on the East sideline for a couple minutes.
"I ran the fade, and I got hit right in the sternum," Horner said. "It was a clean hit. It was just perfect placement, and I think I tore some muscles in my ribs."
The 5-foot-9, 150 pound wide receiver had the wind knocked out of him, and was having trouble breathing. Then, he was hurting in an area where his liver is, and team doctor Cary Guse thought he lacerated his liver and thought he ought to quickly get Horner to the hospital.
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While at Columbus Regional Health, Horner’s parents were able to tell him that the Olympians had held on for a 20-13 win. Shortly after that, many of his teammates showed up to check on him.
"It was a pretty big party over there," Horner said. "A lot of people came and saw me."
X-rays showed no internal injuries, and Horner was released around midnight. Saturday morning, he was at the school for a film session.
"I told him to stay home Saturday, but he was here," East coach Bob Gaddis said. "He’s a team captain, and he feels like he has the responsibility to our team to come in Saturday morning."
Horner, who also has battled a shoulder injury and missed the Olympians’ first two sectional games with an ankle injury, said Sunday was probably the worst day for pain, but it has gotten better from there. He was sore on Monday, but went through practice that day and again on Tuesday while wearing a rib protector.
This season, Horner is East’s second-leading receiver with 26 catches for 607 yards, and his seven touchdown catches is tied with Dalton Back for the team lead. He also has 19 carries for 174 yards and three scores on the ground for the Class 5A co-No. 3 Olympians, who host 5A No. 2 Decatur Central in Friday’s semistate.
"He’s a three-year varsity player, so he’s been there and done that for us for a lot of football games, and obviously, he’s not going to miss this one," Gaddis said. "He’s a pretty tough young man, and he realizes he’s going to have a lot of time to heal up after football season."
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Name: Cody Horner
School: Columbus East
Year: Senior
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 150
Position: Wide receiver
Key stats: 26 receptions for 607 yards and seven touchdowns, 19 carries for 174 yards and three scores
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