Carson High senior running back Greg Wallace will miss his entire senior football season because of a torn meniscus.
Wallace, who gained 857 yards and scored 11 TDs last season, was expected to complement Abel Carter in the Senators’ backfield this year. The Carter-Wallace duo were arguably the best 1-2 punch in northern Nevada.
Carson coach Blair Roman had hoped doctors would just be able to scope the knee and Wallace would be back within a month. Trainer Adam Hunsaker said the meniscus had to be sutured back into place, which meant a longer recovery time. Hunsaker said Wallace won’t be able to put any weight on for several weeks.
“It’s a big blow,” Carson coach Blair Roman said after Wednesday’s practice. “I feel bad for Greg to have this happen his senior year. He was poised to have a big season, and I think he was going to be one of the better players in the state.
“In terms of the team, it creates a little domino effect in terms of where we want to play some guys. The next guy up has to be able to step up. We’ve been here before where key players have been hurt and somehow we get through it. We have to keep moving in a positive direction.”
Wallace’s presence would have taken pressure off Carter. Now, teams will be able to gear their defense toward stopping the junior tailback, who rushed for 1,161 yards and scored 11 times last year. It will be up to quarterback Jace Keema (140 yards rushing) and wingbacks Tyler Huling (104 yards), Kyle Rudy (up from JV), Jake Roman (75 yards) and Kellen McDermott (up from JV) to step up their games.
“We’ll have to utilize Abel in a lot of different ways,” Roman said. “He is primarily a tailback, but we’ll move him around like we did with Dylan (Sawyers).
“We have Kyle Rudy, Spencer (Rogers), Kellen McDermott and Tyler (Huling). Kellen was in the mix to get some playing time, and now he will get a lot more. He’s solid. Tyler is a proven player who is healthy this year.”
Wallace’s absence will also be felt on the defensive side of the ball. He was slated to start at one cornerback spot. His spot is expected to be taken by junior Landon Truesdale, who started on the JV squad a year ago.
