With the recent media attention and hype around the movie “Concussion,” people are becoming increasingly concerned about high school athletes.

Injuries in high school sports have lead to greater problems, making safety a key issue. This push has made the football team take proper precautions in preventing injuries and handling them when they happen.

“There are several courses in continuing [education] that we have to take for injuries,” Coach Joe Rocconi said.

Although athletic injuries are not as common as they seem, there is still an upsetting effect on athletes who are injured. These injuries deplete morale within the team.

“I would feel like I was going to miss out on a lot,” junior varsity soccer player Deja Hughes (11) said, after injuring herself on the field.

While serious injuries such as concussions are less likely to happen, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association sets strict regulations which must be followed during each high school football game. Rocconi said the most common injuries he has seen were shoulder injuries, while in professional football the most common, according to stopsportsinjuries.com is an injury to the knee.

There is a heavy focus on making sure all TSSAA regulations are followed and all proper precautions taken. There is a new law as of 2014 instituted in Tennessee, and enforced by the TSSAA, that makes sure all parties are aware of the possibility of a concussion, and the checklist that must be followed.

“At every game we have athletic trainers and team doctors there,” Rocconi said, “We do feel safer during the games.”

Although high school athletes injuries cause a loss of morale, and sometimes depression, their teams always continue to encourage them. Rocconi believes that  kids come back stronger and faster after an injury if they allow themselves to heal. It gives them time to adjust and strengthen their weaknesses.

With any sport, there are risks for injuries, but attitude means a lot during the process of healing.

“The risks are higher, of course, if you’re playing a sport, but I think the rewards are worth it,” Rocconi said.