Sports
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2018 • THE PRESS DEMOCRAT • SECTION C
Rushing passer not local strong suit
F C.W. NEVIUS
ootball coaches call it
“getting home.”
As in, “We’re close, but
we aren’t getting home.”
It sounds innocuous enough
until you define the term.
“Home” is the intersection of
violence and the quarterback.
Because there is a great truth
in football: You can’t be suc-
cessful unless you can rush the
quarterback.
Which is also a euphemism.
You don’t really want to
“rush” the quarterback. You
want to hurt him. Not injure
him necessarily, although that
would be fine. You just want to
EMPIRE FOOTBALL » UPPER LAKE TRAGEDY
On Kellen’s team
The Upper Lake Cougars are wearing a No. 5 on their helmets this season in tribute to Kellen Smith, the son of the team’s coach and a backup
quarterback who was severely injured in an August auto accident.
Severely injured 16-year-old Smith has a #KellenStrong support system
J
acque Eischens plays the
moment over in her head
even as she tries to forget.
It was nearly 1 a.m. She was
at the front door of one of her
dearest friends, knocking with
increasing urgency, trying to
get Shannon Smith to wake up.
“When she opened the door, I
just completely froze for a cou-
ple of seconds. It completely hit
me: What do I say right now?”
she said.
When the words came, they
sounded something like this: “I
said, ‘Shannon, Kellen was in
an accident. We need to go to
the hospital.’”
When Mike Smith’s phone
rang at 1 a.m., he knew some-
thing was wrong.
Smith, principal at Upper
Lake Middle School who also
serves as the football and
girls’ basketball coach for the
high school, had been up late
after attending an Upper Lake
Unified School District board
meeting. He thinks he dropped
off around 12:15 a.m.
“I was just hitting deep sleep
and my phone rang and it was
Shannon,” he said. “It was right
at 1 a.m. and I was like, ‘This
isn’t good.’”
hit him hard enough that his
arm goes numb for a bit. Or
the air is flattened out of his
lungs.
Because in 40 seconds he’s go-
ing to have to run another play.
And if he is still taking inven-
tory of body parts, his success
rate decreases.
To which most football fans
would say “duh,”, but just for
KERRY BENEFIELD
Shannon and Mike Smith’s
son, Kellen, was grievously
injured after losing control of
his 2008 Honda Civic. Kellen, 16,
was northbound on Lakeshore
Boulevard in Clear Lake just
before midnight Aug. 14 when
he hit a wooden fence. His two
passengers, Desmond Mueller,
16, and a 14-year-old girl were
uninjured. But Kellen Smith
suffered a skull fracture and a
traumatic brain injury.
“I didn’t know exactly what
happened,” Mueller, a senior
wide receiver and free safety for
the Cougars, said of the crash.
“At first, I definitely didn’t com-
prehend what was going on.”
Mueller suffered a small cut
on his face, but was otherwise
OK. But it became immediately
clear that Kellen Smith was not.
“His head was sideways,” he
said. There was blood and glass
and pieces of the car everywhere.
TURN TO BENEFIELD » PAGE C6
the record, we have numbers.
According to Pro Football
Focus, the analytics-based web
site, hitting the quarterback is
literally a game changer.
PFF’s numbers (albeit from a
few years ago) show “a quarter-
back’s completion percentage
drops to 37.8 percent when they
are hit compared to 63 per-
cent when they are not.” The
percentage of passes intercept-
ed goes from 2.7 percent per
attempt to 4.8.
There’s more — completion
percentages drop in direct pro-
portion to the number of hits/
sacks in a game — but you get
Kellen Smith, 16, is known as a bit of a goofball and a loving friend,
and now he’s receiving support from friends, family and strangers.
WINGSOVERWINECOUNTRY.ORG
Inside
Baseball » 2
Coll. Football » 4
Scoreboard » 7
Weather » 8
the point. You have to hit the
quarterback.
This presents a problem for
the local squads since neither
the 49ers nor the Raiders can.
Not that they don’t recognize
the priority.
“I think everyone’s looking
for that position,” said 49ers
GM John Lynch before the
draft. “I think the most sim- BEN MARGOT / ASSOCIATED PRESS
plistic philosophy on how you The Athletics’ Stephen Piscotty
really improve a team . . . if you slides to score on a wild pitch in
can find a quarterback and then the ninth inning Saturday.
find guys to knock them down,
you’re doing pretty well.”
BASEBALL
A’s on
TURN TO NEVIUS » PAGE C5
cusp of
playoff
berth
Another walk-off win,
this one on wild pitch,
beats Minnesota, 3-2
By MICHAEL WAGAMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
OAKLAND — Stephen Pis-
cotty scored on Trevor Hild-
enberger’s wild pitch in the
ninth inning, and the Oakland
Athletics cut their magic num-
ber to clinch a playoff berth to
one with their second straight
walk-off win over the Minnesota
Twins, 3-2 on Saturday night.
Marcus Semien homered
for Oakland, which opened a
7½-game lead over Tampa Bay
for the AL’s second wild card.
The A’s trail AL West-leading
Houston by 3½ games and are
1½ games behind the New York
Yankees, who clinched at least
one of the wild-card berths ear-
lier Saturday.
Oakland won Friday on Khris
Davis’ 10th-inning homer and
took the first two games of the
series against the Twins despite
going hitless in 14 at-bats with
TURN TO ATHLETICS » PAGE C3
ALBERT GREGORY / FOR THE PRESS DEMOCRAT End of
Tiger’s
drought
in sight
GOLF » Woods leads by
three at East Lake, looks
for first win since 2013
By DOUG FERGUSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA — Tiger Woods
made it look and sound as if he
had never been
gone.
More than
turning back
time, every
hole seemed
like the one
before Satur-
day at the Tour
C h a m p i o n - Tiger
ship. A tee shot Woods
striped down
the middle of the fairway. The
clean strike of an iron as he held
his pose. A sonic boom of the
cheers from around the green.
MIKE SMITH PHOTO Another birdie.
“I got off to an ideal start,”
TURN TO TIGER » PAGE C3
the wall of heroes
aerobatic performances
static display aircraft
climb-aboard aircraft
great food & drink
fun for the whole family
C6 THE PRESS DEMOCRAT • SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2018

UPPER LAKE HIGH SCHOOL PHOTO

Friends and teammates put together a banner in support of Kellen Smith, and family friend Jacque Eischens has fashioned T-shirts (below) with #KellenStrong and No. 5 on them.

BENEFIELD Mike Smith said. “They just

helped out. It was amazing.”
The next week, the Cougars
CONTINUED FROM C1 traveled to South Fork. It was
Mike Smith’s night to be in a
The air bags had not deployed, he hotel, but instead he decided to
said. drive north.
The CHP report found Kellen “We were doing the pregame
Smith had been driving at an un- and he came walking across the
known rate of speed and while field,” Dutcher remembered. “I
negotiating a left curve in the saw him and I saw Kellen’s white
roadway, made an unsafe turn- jersey in his pocket and I thought,
ing movement and lost control. ‘This is where he needs to be.’”
They had not been drinking, Emotions were mixed, Mike
Mueller said. Smith said.
“No,” he said. “I’m against BEAU ZACHARY SNEATHEN PHOTO “I got a bunch of hugs,” he
that stuff.” Kellen Smith looks right at home said. “It wasn’t jumping up and
Searching for information in his full Upper Lake Cougars down, it was kind of like that
that night, Mike Smith asked the uniform and helmet before his sorrow for Kellen and happy to
same question. accident. see me.”
“I called Desmond after I got The team has had to balance
out of Ukiah, ‘Desmond, what the able to communicate and all those emotions all season long.
heck happened?’” he said. “‘Were those things, that is what the “You can’t change things that
you guys drinking?’ He said, ‘No, outside looks like, but he’s going have happened,” Dutcher, a
I swear to God we weren’t.’” to have healing and issues in his lineman on the team, said. “You
Toxicology reports came back brain that only he is going to have to keep fighting and keep
clean, Mike Smith said. seriousness of the injuries. So she started making shirts. feel, and that is going to be scary moving forward. If anyone is
But it was illegal for Kellen “Later on, I heard it was Kel- They say “#Kellenstrong” on and hard and difficult,” he said. going to fight and get through it
Smith to be driving after 11 p.m. len and I was like ‘Oh my God, the front and the back has the Mike Smith also thinks about and move forward, it’s Kellen.”
and with two underage passen- poor Mike,’” he said. No. 5. She has spent hours in her the arc of parenting and of The Cougars have struggled
gers. The chance of a first-year Shannon and Mike Smith, no garage, filling requests. They coaching, about the frustra- on the field. They were 0-4 head-
driver getting into an accident longer married, are described as have not slowed. Kids around tions that he sometimes felt as ing into Saturday’s game against
skyrocket when passengers pillars of the community. campus wear them. Upper Lake a parent of a teenager. This is Rincon Valley Christian.
and nighttime are factored in, Shannon Smith works as cheerleaders have worn them. changing him, too. “We are definitely playing for
according to a 2017 National director of Sonoma State’s Up- People have donated nearly $750 “It’s definitely going to change Kellen,” Dutcher said.
Highway Traffic Safety Adminis- ward Bound programs in Lake to the Smiths through Eischens for the better,” he said of his
tration study. County. Kellen’s friends regular- and her T-shirts. relationship with Kellen. “We Looking forward to progress
When he got his bearings after ly spend the night at her house. Eischens knows the shirts have butted heads. It’s changing Mike Smith is back to working
the crash, Mueller realized that Mike Smith is the middle aren’t perfect, that on some, the me and that unconditional piece. about two days a week. Clearly,
his friend and teammate was in school principal, football and printing isn’t straight. That’s not None of that old stuff matters.” things are different now.
bad shape. girls’ basketball coach at the the point. One of the things on his
“I held his head straight,” he high school, and for a time, was “I have a little disclaimer,” Becoming Kellen again revised agenda for the year is
said. “He was breathing on his the athletic director on campus. she said. “These were made with On Thursday, Kellen used drivers’ education. Like almost
own … very loud breathing, like “They both mean a lot to love.” his right hand to throw a small every other school district in
snoring almost.” everybody,” Mueller said. “Mike football to his dad about 15 times California, Lake County schools
They called 911. is a great coach. Ever since I met Long days and a long road in a row. don’t offer it.
Kellen Smith was taken by he- Shannon, she is like my second The Smiths say they can feel On Friday, he stood for 10 Kellen Smith took private
licopter to the Kaiser Vacaville mom.” it. seconds. It was a milestone. lessons, but Mike Smith has
Hospital Trauma Center. Within “They have done so much Their days are now spent at “He doesn’t have the bal- this on his mind: More is better.
two hours, he was in surgery to for the kids in the community,” the Santa Clara Valley Medical ance to maintain that without More hours, more kids, more
remove a piece of his skull in Eischens said. “They have great Center’s Rehabilitation Center, our help, but it was under his learning — about safety and
order to reduce brain swelling. relationships with kids in this Kellen’s third medical facility power,” Mike Smith said. “Those consequences.
When the surgeon emerged in community — kids and their since the accident. were positive signs.” “I grew up with drivers’ ed,”
the early morning hours of Aug. parents.” There, he is working on re- Shannon Smith hopes the he said.
15 and briefed Shannon and Because of that, the commu- gaining his speech and re-learn- things that made her son who he Nowadays, parents who can
Mike, he was not gentle. nity has rallied for all of the ing his body. He hasn’t spoken is will help see him through. afford it pay for private driving
“He was blunt, tough,” Mike Smiths. since the accident and he has “I think his love for football, lessons. Others? It’s unclear
Smith remembered. “He did a tracheostomy tube inserted his love for life, will motivate where and how some kids learn
not sugarcoat anything in that They are #KellenStrong into his throat. He is fed through him to work and get back to the rules. Smith now wonders
moment. He said ‘Kellen has had In the six weeks since Kellen’s a tube that is connected to his where he was,” she said. if drivers’ education can be
a very, very serious brain injury accident, and through moving to stomach through his side. Doctors have put a cap on his brought back to Lake County
and there will be brain damage. three different Bay Area medical His right side has been mobile tracheostomy tube to push air schools in any form. Perhaps
We don’t know how much, but it facilities, people have sent videos almost from the start, but mus- through his vocal cords and to classroom curriculum only,
is serious.’” to the Smiths of prayer circles cle and control on his left side prepare him for removing the perhaps a rules of the road class
Mike Smith doesn’t remem- staged before school on the foot- have been slower to return. He tube. Therapists are working on as early as middle school.
ber what else was said at that ball field, messages of well-wish- doesn’t have the motor skills to strengthening his neck muscles “Safety was a concern and
moment, but he knows what was es, pictures of kids and their par- hold a pen or use a white board. so they can be sure that he is an issue and part of this, and a
running through his mind. ents wearing “#5 Kellenstrong” He communicates mostly by able to hold his head erect to part of a lot of lives of youths in
“Are we going to have to make shirts and football players next to finger snaps and hand squeezes. keep his airway open. Upper Lake, and I have a role in
decisions? Is he going to live? Webanners that line the field. And his eyes. Therapists are also working that,” he said. “What can I do in
didn’t verbalize it but it’s what The football team’s players “For his grandpa? His eyes, to get Kellen, the kid friends that regard?”
we were thinking,” he said. now have stickers with Kellen’s boom, got real big,” Mike Smith describe as a goofball and class “I don’t know, I am just trying
“We are not super religious No. 5 affixed to their helmets. said. “His first eye tracking was clown, to whisper. to think of something I can do,”
people, but when you are in that Because four hours of driving with two or three friends by his When Kellen used to give he said.
position, when you are not sure separate Kellen Smith from side.” lifelong friend and Upper Lake
if your child is going to live or many of his friends, both Shan- After his first physical ther- junior Alex Santana a ride to Unlocking Kellen’s future
die, you pray,” Shannon said. non and Mike show the videos apy session in Santa Clara two school, it was never boring, she Only in recent days have
But despite the desperation of and pictures to their son as often weeks ago, the therapist asked said. If her day was going poorly, Shannon and Mike Smith
the moment, both Shannon and as possible. They set up Face- Kellen to point to his mom. He something changed after Kellen worked out a schedule where
Mike Smith remember hospi- time calls with pals. pointed at Shannon. picked her up. one parent can be with Kellen in
tal support staff telling them “That is their language,” Also positive, the emergence “He’ll pick me up for school Santa Clara and the other can
this: Their son is young and in Shannon Smith said. “He can’t of normal teenage irritation. and I’ll just feel so much better,” be at home in Lake County, at
perhaps the best shape of his talk back but they can talk to Kellen sometimes pretends he’s she said. “Lil Uzi Vert or Drake, work and with their daughter,
life. Just hours before the car him. Oftentimes, he is really asleep when he is supposed to be he really doesn’t have a favor- Annalise, who is a freshman at
accident, Smith was working locked in and paying attention. working on speech therapy. On ite. He dances to any song that Upper Lake High.
out with the Upper Lake varsity Some times more than others. Thursday he ripped the feeding comes on. He’ll like shake his Both know they have a long
football team where he is backup There are other times he’ll reach tube from his stomach. head and sing to me and be a journey in front of them with
quarterback. for the phone. One time he Face- “Kellen has a big personality goofball.” no exact timeline. Progress will
What made him a high school timed with his sister and he put and is a jokester and a witty Which was why it was so in- come in an imperfect schedule.
athlete might be the key to what his hand up and waved.” class clown type,” Shannon comprehensible to see him lying “They always go back to ‘He’s
brings him back. And in those first weeks, Mike Smith said. “We are not seeing in a hospital bed, not talking, not young, he’s strong, but it’s going
and Shannon were a constant that yet.” laughing, said friend and team- to take time,’” Mike Smith said.
Shocking start to season presence at Kellen’s bedside. “We are seeing the darker side, mate Mark Dutcher, an Upper “We have no idea. Whether
“It was the second day of pads “Both of our jobs have been a little sullen, frustrated,” she Lake junior. it’s good news or bad news, it’s
(practice) when it happened,” unbelievably supportive, just said. “He’s making some facial “Unreal,” he said. “You are going to take time.”
said Vince Moran, who has tak- allowing us to focus on him,” expressions now that you can sitting there looking at a kid that So Kellen, just weeks removed
en over full time coaching duties Mike Smith said. tell he’s irritated. He’ll purpose- was so strong and so independent from passing league and sum-
for Smith since the accident. Sandy Coatney, principal at fully stop making eye contact or and he just looked like he was mer workouts with his team, is
The community around Upper Upper Lake, described the staffs stop responding to commands sleeping. He had color back in his now focused on speech therapy
Lake and Lakeport is small and at the middle and high schools because he’s had enough.” face. He looked like he could have and occupational therapy and on
tight. So in the hours after the as tight. But the small acts of rebellion woke up and walked out.” building a new kind of strength,
accident that night, texts were “We are not all here 24/7 but also mean he’s a 16-year-old albeit with his same old resolve.
flying but details were scant. sometimes it feels like it. When asserting himself, taking small A football community “He’s in there,” Mike Smith
Moran, whose son Ray starts at one of the team is missing we pieces of control. And to Mike When the Cougars played said. “You just have to unlock
quarterback ahead of Kellen, can really feel that he’s gone,” Smith’s way of thinking, show- Virginia City on the road for the him with therapy.”
heard about the accident almost he said. ing his will. first game of the season, it was
immediately but facts were hard Eischens, Shannon Smith’s Smith knows a traumatic 11 days after the accident. Upper You can reach staff columnist
to come by. longtime friend who had to brain injury can do more than Lake lost 50-6. But the Virginia Kerry Benefield at 707-526-8671
At first it was “nobody was deliver the news of the accident affect the body. It can affect City home crowd took a collec- or kerry.benefield@pressdemo-
hurt.” Then it was “somebody that night, didn’t know what to things we can’t see. tion for the Smiths and present- crat.com, on Twitter @benefield
got flown out.” Then Moran do in the days, now weeks, since “When he does appear to be ed it to Moran at the game. and on Instagram at kerry.
found out who it was and the the crash to show her support. healthy and maybe walking and “I’ve never met those people,” benefield.