PREP FOOTBALL:

Injured player surprises teammates with rivalry on the line

Jerel Harris / Home News file

Members of the Green Valley High School football team celebrate with the Henderson Bowl trophy last year after blowing out the Basic High Wolves 47-26.

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 | 12:15 a.m.

Henderson Bowl Showdown

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Basic and Green Valley vie for the Henderson Bowl title and the Southeast Division championship.

Fighting Back

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Green Valley defensive back LaQuan Phillips was left temporarily paralyzed after making a tackle in last Friday's game against Centennial. One week later, he's already showing that he's stronger and more determined than ever.

Hoping for a full recovery

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Green Valley High School

High school football section

LaQuan Phillips will make good on a promise Thursday night. Now, his teammates on Green Valley High's football team will have to hold up their end of the bargain.

Phillips, who was left temporarily paralyzed with a bruised spine while making a tackle Sept. 5, guaranteed teammates from his hospital room the following day that he'd return for their most important game of the year.

That game is Thursday, when the Gators travel to east Henderson to face rival Basic in Henderson Bowl XVIII. The winner also captures the Henderson City Championship, or Southeast Division crown, and receives the league No. 1 seed for next week's playoffs.

Considering Phillips' condition in the days after the injury -- he needed surgery to alleviate swelling on his spine and had no movement in his arms or legs -- at the time, his goal of returning was overly optimistic.

Now, it's a reality.

Phillips, who has regained movement and sensation in most of his body while rehabbing at the Shriners Hospital for Children at the University of California-Davis, arrived back in the Las Vegas Valley this afternoon.

He'll return to the rehab facility Saturday but not before putting on his white road jersey and cheering on his fellow Gators.

"I'm ecstatic. There is no better feeling than being home," said Phillips, a senior linebacker.

His plane landed at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, and within a few hours, he was back at the scene of his injury. He surprised teammates by arriving at practice and took part in a team meal afterward.

Only a handful of coaches and players knew Phillips would be making a surprise appearance.

"It was awesome to see him," said quarterback Nick Libonati, one of Phillips' closest friends. "With the game so close and him coming back, that just adds extra motivation. He fought his was all the way back get here."

Phillips still can't walk, but he has regained enough balance to be able to stand for short periods. Come tonight, he hopes to be standing with the school's most prized possession -- the Henderson Bowl trophy.

"I can't wait to get my jersey and letterman's jacket on," he said.

Sports Editor Ray Brewer can be reached at ray.brewer@hbcpub.com