Bishop Guertin's Kelly to miss rest of football season

The Bishop Guertin High School football team will be down a man for the rest of the year, as senior running back Mike Kelly will miss the remainder of the football season, according to coach Tony Johnson.

Kelly, who was injured on the final play of the first quarter of last Friday’s win over Timberlane, suffered a Lisfranc injury to his left foot and will undergo surgery in the near future. While his football season is done, Kelly should be able to return for the basketball season.

“My biggest concern is making sure his future is secure,” Johnson said Tuesday. “We’re going to take the precautionary measures and he’s going to have the operation and we’re going to secure his future.”

Johnson said the surgery will involve reattaching the ligament in the Lisfranc joint, and making sure the bone structure of Kelly’s foot is properly in place.

Kelly was hurt on a 1-yard run at the end of the first quarter of the Cardinals’ 21-6 win over the Owls. He emerged from the pile and went back to the ground, holding his foot. Kelly was later taken from the field by ambulance.

In a win over Salem on Sept. 4, Kelly had 20 touches on offense and gained a combined 312 yards to go with five touchdowns.

“Certainly, it’s going to take more than one person to fill his shoes,” Johnson said. “It’s going to take about three or four. Hopefully we can find those kids.

“I talked to the team a little bit on Monday, try to give them a bit of ‘what-if.’ Everybody has to step to the plate, and it’s as simple as that.”

Last year, Miami Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown suffered a Lisfranc fracture and missed the final seven games of the NFL season. Depending on the severity of Kelly’s injury, he could be sidelined for six to 12 weeks.