Donna High junior quarterback Amonte Bowen broke his collarbone during Friday night’s scrimmage versus Brownsville Rivera.
The Redskins will seek a formal opinion on Bowen’s injury on Monday. If Bowen, Donna’s starting signal-caller, does not need a plate in his shoulder, he could be out anywhere from 6-8 weeks. If he does, he is out for the season.
It’s a situation Donna High coach Ramiro Leal is familiar with.
“Two years ago, we had both our quarterbacks go down with broken collarbones, as crazy as it sounds,” Leal said. “One needed a plate and was out for the year, and the other didn’t need a plate, was out six weeks and came back and played the last three games. It’s a crapshoot.”
Bowen suffered the injury on the second-to-last play of Friday’s scrimmage after sprinting for a 35-yard run and being tackled, a hit Leal said was “not devastating.”
Bowen ran one more play, scored a touchdown, and then walked off to the sideline where he began grabbing his shoulder.
“He’s not in a lot of pain,” Leal said. “He said he heard a pop on a play and he still played another snap and even scored. We didn’t have to pick him up off the ground.”
Bowen was in the game so late because it is his first year as a quarterback and Leal was getting him as many reps as possible. Bowen played some quarterback last season, but was mostly a running back and slot receiver.
Before that, he had not played quarterback since his freshman year, mostly handing off to running backs.
“Amonte has never really played quarterback,” Leal said. “We needed him to get reps. If I had a veteran guy, he wouldn’t have been in the game. But I have a guy who needs reps.”
The 5-foot-10 Bowen amassed 572 total yards and nine touchdowns last season. He had made strides with his throwing, showing progress with reading defenses and communicating with teammates. Because of his athleticism, he was a dynamic playmaker in the open field, a prototypical dual-threat quarterback.
“He was getting more comfortable, and that’s what we wanted,” Leal said. “We were clicking. That’s what happens when you get reps. You can’t simulate stuff in practice. You have to go against other people.”
Now Donna will have to turn to junior backup Edward Dougherty, who Leal praised for having a strong preseason camp. Dougherty is smaller than Bowen, but quicker. Leal said the Redskins don’t have a No. 3 quarterback, but he will look for one starting with Monday’s practice.
“I don’t think we adapt the offense, we adapt how many carries Edward gets,” Leal said. “We’ll do what we do, but I don’t know how much of it he can carry.
“I’m happy with him. I think he can execute fine. The team has confidence in him and I have confidence in him. We’ve just got to go.”
The Redskins open the season versus Brownsville Veterans Memorial at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Bennie LaPrade Stadium.