Holbert out for the season

Carson senior running back/cornerback Will Holbert's football season has come to an end as a result of an injury he suffered in last week's 14-7 victory over the Wooster Colts at Carson High School.

The 17-year-old Holbert had emergency surgery Saturday too relieve lateral compartment syndrome in his thigh. Lower extremity lateral compartment syndrome is caused by impact and results in bleeding and swelling within the muscle sheath. Extra fluid forms and causes pressure within the muscle sheath.

Holbert said he suffered the injury during the third quarter of last week's victory over the Colts, which improved Carson to 2-1 in the Sierra League and 2-4 overall.

"(The doctors) said they'd never seen it (lateral compartment syndrome) in the thigh - it's very rare," Holbert said from home Thursday. "It's crazy. Hopefully I'll be back for basketball."

Known by his teammates as "Inspector Gadget" for his diverse skill-set, the ultra-athletic Holbert averaged 13 points and seven rebounds in his first year on the CHS varsity basketball team last season.

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Holbert, who was switched from wide receiver to the backfield this year, gained 365 yards on 70 carries and scored a team-high six rushing touchdowns for the Senators. He also had a team-high 11 receptions for 115 yards and two touchdowns.

It was thought Holbert's season was over after he suffered an injury in a 28-7 loss to Reno three weeks ago. However, even though he missed one game (against South Tahoe), Holbert didn't suffer a fractured ankle as originally thought, his injury instead stemming from the way his bones had formed.

"In the third quarter I thought I just had a 'dead' leg," Holbert said of his latest injury. "I thought it was a Charley horse. It was tight the whole game. When I sat down, I couldn't move when I got up. After the game it swelled up badly. It cut off the flow of blood - from my knee down it was numb.

"I put ice on it and went to sleep and my leg fell asleep. It turned purple and different colors. I couldn't walk."

At about 3 a.m. Saturday, Holbert went to the hospital, where it was discovered that half of his body's blood supply was concentrated in his thigh. Doctors immediately took him to the operating room, where they made an incision from his hip to his knee to release the pressure.

Although Holbert returned home on Tuesday, his incision still remains open to keep the swelling down and he will undergo additional surgery Oct. 9 at 4:30 p.m. to "clean it up."

"It looked fake," Holbert said of his reaction after doctors recently changed the bandages on the gaping incision. He said he could possibly require a skin graft for the incision site to look somewhat normal.

Although he has played basketball longer than football, Holbert thinks he has a better shot at getting a college scholarship by continuing football as a wide receiver.

"Football comes easier for me," he said. "I think I'm a better wide receiver than running back, but I got a lot more opportunities to make plays (out of the backfield). You put me out wide, I can take anybody."

Holbert said he has received letters from Colorado State, UNLV and numerous Division-II schools expressing interest in his football skills. He also said he has also spoken with a coach from UNLV.

Holbert said doctors told him he'd be out one to two months with the injury. He expressed optimism that he'd be able to play basketball this season for coach Bruce Barnes, who Holbert said gave him a phone call Thursday to check in on him.

"I hope they respond well," Holbert said of his football teammates. "We need a bunch of players to step up. The younger kids need to play better."

If he has his way, Holbert won't be sitting at home waiting for the results of tonight's battle for second place between Carson and Hug.

"I'm going to try and get a wheelchair and go to the game," Holbert said. "I just want to chill on the sidelines."

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Hug High School.

•Contact Mike Houser at mhouser@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1220