"If you make it through four years of high school, and you don't get an injury, you're one of the lucky few," said Sage Robinson-Miller, Sturgis High School's athletic trainer.
And if you want your child to luck out, Robinson–Miller says be on the lookout for two specific types of injuries.
"I see a lot of ankle sprains," said Robinson-Miller. "That's probably one of the biggest ones. I also see a lot of overuse injuries. That can be anything from a shin splint to a calf strain or a quad strain"
In a decade, she's worked with kids in more than a half dozen area schools. Robinson–Miller says two simple things can work wonders preventing these injuries: staying hydrated and getting sleep.
"If you get four or five hours of sleep and try to go to two–a–days there's no way your muscles can repair like they're supposed to do," said Robinson-Miller. "And then you're coming in the next day so stiff, and of course you're going to pull a muscle"
It's advice senior lineman Connor Jacobs says he's going to heed now that he is rehabbing a middle vertebrae injury.
But he admits, he never thought he would be in this position.
"I thought I'd be healthy my senior year and be able to play every game," said Jacobs. "Come to find out you get a little extra cocky and it catches up to you"
Before it catches up to them, Robinson–Miller says many athletes notice warning signs that could prevent these injuries. They just need to speak up.
"I tell kids, 'Nothing is a stupid question,' so please ask," said Robinson Miller. "And tell your coaches and an athletic trainer so we can get you back to being healthy before we say, 'You're going to be out for two weeks.'"
