3A high school football: Juan Diego adjusting without star player

During the Juan Diego-Wasatch semifinal game last week, a shot was fired that ricocheted throughout the state of Utah's eardrums.

Keegan Andersen, the standout Utah State signee, sustained a broken leg.

"He broke the tibia in his leg. (It was) kind of a fluke thing, (he) got a helmet to it. He knew right away that it was broken when I went out there. ... He looked at me and said 'it's broken,' and it was confirmed," said Juan Diego coach John Colosimo, "So they went in Thursday and put a rod in it, stabilizing it. The doctor said it's a pretty good football injury and it's not tissue — so it's something he can heal from. It'll take him six to eight weeks to heal, and he'll be able to go on and play."

Andersen was quite possibly the scariest matchup problem for opposing teams — with the ability to outjump, outmuscle and outrun virtually every defensive back in 3A. Before the heartbreaking injury, Andersen hauled in 39 receptions for 942 yards and 11 touchdowns. As a two-way starter, he also recorded 49 tackles and six interceptions on the dark side of the ball.

"We're sad that he's not with us on this game, but life goes on. He had some great experiences as a player here at Juan Diego. He's played in three state tournaments and the state championship game," Colosimo said. "He's had quite a career here; we're mournful that he's not going to be with us on Friday, but only for his sake that he's not going to be out there with the boys."

Replacing a player like Andersen is close to impossible with one player. Luckily, there's more than one kid on the roster itching to get on the playing field. Juan Diego's depth makes finding players that can stop the bleeding a much easier task.

Three players will share time filling in for the injured Andersen. Bruce Nix, Jaron Bentrude and Frankie Sutera all have experience on the offensive side of the ball, but obviously far less than Andersen. The three have combined for 11 receptions for 291 yards and two touchdowns through 13 games thus far.

Defensively, Nix and Sutera were already starters and have combined for 116 tackles and nine interceptions. Therefore, if there's an area hurting the most with the absence of Andersen, it's without a doubt the offense.

Adjusting to the vacancy at wide receiver was something quarterback Cody Stevenson was nervous about at first. However, he's been able to tailor his game to fit his current active teammates' rhythm.

"(It's hard) not knowin' who to go to. I don't have that go-to guy who you know is gonna catch it. I have trust in my other receivers," said Stevenson, "They can catch the ball. They're great leaders and great athletes. I think we'll be all right."

The three players could be dubbed "Earth, Wind and Fire," for their contrasting playing styles.