Central Texas High School football game halted after player suffers injury, teams come together to support recovery

BARTLETT, Texas (KWTX) – Bartlett ISD says one of its high school football players was injured, forcing the home game to be halted as both teams came together to support his recovery.

Bartlett ISD Superintendent Teddy Clevenger said the student, Frankie Gonzales, was hit in the neck, and when crews removed him from the field, he could be seen wiggling his toes.

He said the players, coaches and fans from Bartlett ISD and Somerville ISD stopped the game and gathered in the middle of the field to pray for Gonzales. The students took turns praying for his recovery, Clevenger said.

“It was beautiful to see,” Clevenger said in a statement to KWTX. “A reminder that with God all things are possible.”

The teams decided to forgo the game and the district decided to move the homecoming festivities, including the dance, to next week.

In an update Saturday morning, Clevenger said the footballer’s CT scan came back clear, and the neurologist decided to allow him to have an MRI before being released.

Bartlett ISD Varsity Football Team took on Somerville ISD at Holland ISD Stadium while the district’s stadium was being built. He said support has been received from all communities in the area.

The City of Bartlett posted a “Praying for Frankie” photo on its Facebook page last night.

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