By Chris Roth

Pinnacle High School in north Phoenix is taking preventive measures for concussions and has consistently done so since 2006.

Concussion protocol is one of the most important legal issues facing both high school coaches and athletes, which can affect all parties negatively if not administered properly. Led by football coach Dana Zupke, Pinnacle has established a set of measures designed to protect the safety of its athletes.

Pinnacle uses two tests: Cogstate and ImPACT (Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive). These tests help determine when and if a player can return to action, Zupke said.

Cogstate is an eight-minute test that checks the athlete’s brain speed and accuracy, and ImPACT provides neurocognitive assessment. They are both statistically based tests, and ImPACT is used by the MLB, NHL and NFL.

According to Zupke, no coaches ever assesses a player’s ability to go back on the field and can only be cleared by medical staff. He also added that the Arizona Interscholastic Association also requires written clearance by a physician if a concussion occurs.

“All athletes are retested upon impact after returning from their initial injury,” Pinnacle’s head trainer Chelsea Willette said.

A state law also requires a player to be removed from a game, even if there is a suspected concussion.

Before a season starts, the AIA requires every high school athlete to complete Barrow Brainbook, an interactive online training tool about concussion education that’s provided by St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix.  Coaches aren’t excluded from concussion training. They are required by the AIA to attend a yearly seminar called “Keep Head out of the Game,” which is designed to instruct coaches on form tackling and to keep players from using their heads to help avoid spinal injuries.

 Zupke also pointed out another important factor.

“Having the right size equipment is essential to safety,” Zupke said. “Pinnacle uses helmets made by Xenith, which has extra padding and are custom designed according to the head size of each player.”

Pinnacle’s Spencer Rattler is just a freshman, but he was the team’s starting quarterback this season.

Despite being so young, Rattler and his teammates more than likely benefitted from all of the concussion preventive measures Pinnacle is taking.   

“I have been fortunate enough not to have a concussion,” he said.

In his years of coaching at Pinnacle, Zupke said, “I thankfully have had only one head injury that resulted in a player having to give up football.”

Chris Roth is a sports journalism student at Arizona State.