A Mineral Wells High School football player who collapsed during a game Friday after a routine tackle has a long recovery ahead.
Robby Mounce, 17, is a typical overachiever. Loved by everyone, the senior at Community Christian School in Mineral Wells is ranked first in his class and is the captain of the football team.
"He's played since junior high," said his father, Robert Mounce.
Robby Mounce was knocked out of the game Friday night by a tackle that at first looked harmless.
"He gained about 7 or 8 yards, and the tackle didn't look anything out of the ordinary, but when he got up, he did look a bit shaky and off balance," his father said.
He was right there on the field when it happened.
"I never take my eyes off of him -- you know how a dad is with his son," he said. "I could tell, wow, something is pretty serious here, and he began to walk toward his sideline and he collapsed."
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Robby Mounce was flown by helicopter to Texas Health Harris Methodist, where he was rushed into surgery to remove a blood clot on his brain.
"For a second there, I thought I'd lost my son," his father said.
He was nonresponsive until Wednesday.
"He started to come to today," his father said. "Today is what, Wednesday, and he's starting to respond."
Their community is also responding. His teammates are showing their support in an interesting way.
"The football team shaved their heads, because Robby had to get his head shaved for the surgery," his father said.
That support and a strong sense of faith is what is getting his family through what's sure to be a long road ahead, he said.
"God has never left Robby for a minute," he said. "This type of injury takes a long time to heal from."
Robby Mounce's injury means he might never play football again. But if anyone can recover, his son can, Robert Mounce said. His 17-year-old son has exceeded expectations his entire life, he said.
"There's no doubt in my mind he has the heart though to come back," he said.
