One week after All-State WR Sean Persch sustains season-ending hand injury, QB Mike Rice is lost for the season with a broken ankle
The last thing Pequea Valley’s football team needed was more bad news.
But the Braves got another hard dose of reality when junior quarterback Mike Rice went down for the season after sustaining a fractured ankle against Fleetwood in a non-league game last Friday night in Kinzers.
One week after All-State wideout Sean Persch was lost for the season with torn ligaments in his hand, Pequea Valley’s triggerman was also lost for the rest of the season.
“Obviously, right now there is a very somber mood surrounding our team, because two of everyone’s teammates won’t be able to play football again this year,” Pequea Valley second-year coach Curtis Waltman said. “Both Sean and Mike were not only a huge part of the offense, but they were also two of the team’s three captains, and they were leaders of our football team.”
In 10 games last fall as a first-year starter, Rice completed 133-of-312 passes for 1,591 yards and 11 touchdowns. He did throw a league-high 25 interceptions, but he helped the Braves’ offense go from dead last in the league from total team O the year before to up toward the middle of the pack in 2007.
Before going down with the injury, Rice was 34-of-75 for 483 yards with three TDs against eight picks. He was also the Braves’ leading rusher with 126 yards on 60 keepers.
Sophomore Ben Meyers is Pequea Valley’s new starting QB. He’ll get his first varsity start when the Braves host Annville-Cleona in the Section 3 opener for both teams Friday at 7:30 p.m.
“I’ve always believed that things happen for a reason,” Waltman said, “and through every negative a positive can arise – if you deal with it in the proper way. That’s our plan. Our kids are resilient, and no matter the situation, they play hard and give it all no matter what the situation. Our team will grow closer because of this, because we need to not only support Sean and Mike, but also support each other. Now we need more people to step up to be leaders and to make plays on the field.”
