Their football season doesn’t start until Friday, but the Thompson Valley Eagles have already suffered their biggest loss of the year.
Running back Dorian Brown, a 1,900-yard rusher a season ago, tore the ACL in his left knee during the Eagles’ scrimmage with Centaurus last Saturday and is out for the season.
“It’s devastating for us, and for him,” said first-year Thompson Valley coach Michael DeWall.
Brown was gang-tackled on a sweep on Thompson Valley’s first play from scrimmage. He walked to the sideline and told his coaches he heard a pop.
“It wasn’t a lying-on-the-ground, writhing-in-pain kind of thing,” DeWall said. “He just kind of got up and said, ‘I heard my knee pop, it kinda hurts.’ “
When the knee was still stiff and sore on Monday, Brown underwent an MRI. Results Tuesday revealed a full tear of the ligament, as well as a partial tear of the hamstring muscle.
“It was a fluke,” DeWall said.
Brown, ranked as the No. 4 recruit in the state by , has offers from CU and CSU and has been hearing from other top programs nationally, including UCLA and Oregon.
Thompson Valley’s offense will morph to a running-back-by-committee approach, DeWall said. Three defensive starters — Noah Harold, Francisco Marquez and Josh Sampson — will split carries for at least the first few weeks of the season.
Ryan Casey: 303-954-1983 or rcasey@denverpost.com
