Armwood QB Richardson has ruptured bursa sac in knee

Posted Aug 31, 2011 by Bill Ward

Updated Aug 31, 2011 at 03:34 PM

Although it still means he could be out of action for up to a month, Darryl Richardson and the Armwood Hawks received some relatively good news Wednesday when the MRI scan of his knee revealed a ruptured bursa sac behind his knee cap but nothing more serious than that injury.

It was initially feared Richardson, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound sophomore, could have suffered a fracture to the patella (knee cap) or tibia plateau (top of the shin bone). Richardson fell on the knee in the first series of Friday’s game against host Las Vegas Bishop Gorman but came down carrying the weight of two Gaels players on top of him. Richardson played the remainder of the game, a 20-17 win by the nationally-ranked Hawks, but suffered serious swelling in the knee the following morning.

Hawks coach Sean Callahan said the length of Richardson’s rehabilitation depends greatly on how quickly the swelling disappears from the knee. The swelling has reduced significantly since Saturday but if the blood does not leave the area more quickly, Callahan said doctors will consider draining it. Either way, the joint will require physical therapy and a recovery period, which could be 2-4 weeks, Callahan said.

In the meantime, junior receiver Alvin Bailey will be the Hawks starter under center Friday against host Brandon, with sophomore Caleb Newman, the junior varsity quarterback, playing as the backup. Regardless of what the doctors told him about Richardson’s knee today, Callahan knew the injury was serious enough to plan for the Bailey-Newman scenario all week in practice.