Ozark quarterback Brady Dodd was deflated during warmups for the Backyard Brawl last Friday when he realized he wouldn’t be able to play.
An injury to the top of Dodd’s right foot kept him sidelined.
“I didn’t know whether I was going to play or not until warmups. So, I wasn’t prepared to not play,” Dodd said. “I was preparing myself all week long for the game and taking mental reps at practice.
“It started to feel better. It progressed during the week,” he added. “It felt good (Friday) morning. But getting back into cleats and running, (the pain) crept back up on me. I met with our trainer. He had me give an honest answer on how it was feeling. It was hurting quite a bit.”
Dodd injured the foot during a run near the end of the first half in Ozark’s Week Eight win at Branson. He continued to play in the second half.
“It was painful to play in the second half,” Dodd said. “I didn’t say anything about it. Our trainer wasn’t all too happy about that.”
Dodd is holding out hope he can return to the Tigers.
“(Doctors) can’t find a fracture. They’re still reviewing for a possible sprain or if something is torn,” he said Friday. “I was in a boot and on crutches all week long (last week) to take as much pressure off of it as I could. At this point, there’s not a whole lot I can do about it.”
"I feel bad he wasn't able to play (last week)," said Gage Depee, who moved over from running back to take Dodd's spot behind center. "That's heartbreaking. To play Nixa your senior year at home, that's every Ozark kids dream. When you get that taken away, it's terrible. I tried to play for him."
Dodd has completed 50-of-92 passes for 867 yards with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. In addition, he has rushed 81 times for 272 yards.
If Dodd can’t go for the start of Class 6 District 3 play this week at Nixa, Depee will again fill in for him behind center.
Depee ran the ball well against Nixa, showing elusiveness on interior runs and to the edges.
“I’m very proud of him and he had a lot of guys around him helping him,” Ozark coach Chad Depee said. “I was proud how the guys rallied around him and played with confidence. All the guys in the huddle need to be able to look at you and have confidence that you can do what the starter was doing. I feel he has earned the respect of the kids.”
Nixa coach John Perry took note of Gage Depee's efforts on both sides of the ball.
"Coach's son is an outstanding player," Perry said.
