Mt. Juliet's Harrison Edwards shows movement after injury in TSSAA football playoff game, taken to hospital

MT. JULIET – The stadium at Roger Perry Field fell silent as Mt. Juliet football running back Harrison Edwards lay motionless on his team's sideline, face down.

Mt. Juliet trainers rushed to Edwards as soon as he collided with two Oakland defenders midway through the second quarter of their Class 6A playoff second-round game Friday.

Edwards lay on the ground for nearly 10 minutes before he was carted off the field on a stretcher, fastened to backboard, helmet on but facemask removed. Edwards' head and neck were immobilized.

"You're talking about teenagers that play this game, and that's their brother," Mt. Juliet coach Trey Perry said after his team's 24-2 loss to Oakland. "It was tough on them and it was tough on us (coaches) too because he's one of our sons."

Edwards was able to move his leg and foot when prompted by Mt. Juliet's trainers. They rolled him to his back to stabilize him on the backboard. His team gathered closer to Edwards as paramedics strapped him to the board. Junior offensive tackle Sam Gravely led an emotional and tearful prayer.

"He's a tough kid ... he was saying 'I'll be all right by halftime'," Perry said. "Even that mentality was kicking in. He's been that way his entire career."

Perry was unsure what hospital Edwards was taken to and did not have an update on the junior running back's condition after the game. Edwards ran for 46 yards in just over a quarter of play against Oakland as Mt. Juliet's season ended with a 9-3 record.

Reach sports writer George Robinson at georgerobinson@theleafchronicle.com and on the X platform (formerly Twitter) @Cville_Sports.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TSSAA football: Mt. Juliet's Harrison Edwards taken to hospital