DENNIS SILVA II | STAFF WRITER
DONNA — Inside the helmets of Donna High’s junior varsity and varsity football players this season will be a military grade composite of which the outer layer is made of Kevlar, a fiber used in bulletproof vests and is five times stronger than steel.
The composite — which consists of a multi-layer polymer, a high density elastomeric foam, and Kevlar — is another avenue the Redskins are trying in regard to preventing concussions. The composite is an energy-dispersing agent. When an impact occurs, the energy from the force is dispersed and dissipated away from the body.
The liner absorbs so much more shock on impact that it is said to reduce the amount of concussions by 50-75 percent.
“I’ve always been proactive as far as anything having to do with safety,” Donna High coach Ramiro Leal said. “We buy knee braces for all of our offensive linemen. We know we have to protect our players, especially with the split with Donna North and how that affects our depth. I’m very optimistic this will have a big impact for our kids.”
Donna High athletic trainer Mark Lozano said there were about 15-20 concussions on all levels of Redskins football last season. However, those numbers tend to be high because concussions are classified easier these days. A student-athlete reporting to a trainer that he has a headache is regarded as a concussion case, which means a five-day evaluation period by way of a standard concussion protocol system.
The difficulty is determining which headaches are actual concussions and which are, for example, sinus-related. Leal and Lozano are optimistic the composite will help differentiate between the severe and non-severe.
“A headache with something like this protecting you, we know will be serious,” Leal said.
The composite, which costs $60 at market value, is one of two new additions to Redskins football equipment this season. Donna High skill position players and players who have suffered concussions in the past will wear new flex helmets, which cost approximately $360 each. The primary feature is a bend at the top of the helmet that allows for more give on impact.
And it’s not just football that is getting attention. Donna High boys and girls soccer players will wear black headbands made of the composite as a preventative measure against concussions.
“It’s something that’s been in the market for awhile, but it just hasn’t hit the Valley,” Lozano said of the composite. “It’s about the safety of our athletes and doing what we can. Taking proactive approaches is what we need to do.”
Donna High is believed to be the first athletics program in the Valley to use the composite in its football helmets.
“Times are changing,” Leal said, “and we have to change with the times. If they make it, we’re going to try it.”