Stuck on the Sidelines: Our Injured Football Players

By: Lucas de Lima

Everyone watches the players working hard to get Redwood some victories on the field, but what about the players that are restricted from giving their all to succeed for the Rangers?

Nathaniel Kinser ’24 is a prominent tight end for our varsity squad that tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and crushed his meniscus. This is not stopping him though, Kinser is finding different ways to impact his team.

“You can help everybody and lift their spirits a little bit more.” Kinser says. “You can also keep people more accountable.” Kinser is going to have his surgery on September 29, and will enter rehab to get healthier for next season.

Noah Arellano ’25 is a wide receiver for the junior varsity (JV) team. He also tore his ACL at practice after thinking it was a dislocated patella, before a recent visit to the doctors told him otherwise.

He unfortunately will be out for this season as it takes 9-12 months to recover from a torn ACL. Arellano has to wear a brace to prevent the injury from recurring again.

Photo credit: Lucas de Lima — Noah Arellano ’25

Arellano is enjoying his first year in the football program here at Redwood. “The team this year is great, we’ve got a lot of good players. We’ve got a good line, good receivers.” Arellano says.

Another JV player that is out for the season is Xavier Jaime ’25. He injured his collarbone during hitting drills.

Jaime made an impact while he was healthy. “I was starting and was captain on defense.” Jaime says.

Although injuries hold our football teams back, they keep thinking with a winning mentality, hungry to get the victory. Kinser says, “I feel like we have more of a winning mentality this year.”

Lucas de Lima

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Lucas de Lima, '25, is a proud managing editor and sports writer for the Redwood Gigantea. Outside of journalism, he is part of the FBLA and FFA organizations, as well as the tennis program. You can reach him by email at lucas.de3708@vusd.us