Coach: Doctors say injured Gilbert player will recover

An excruciating night for the Gilbert High football team ended with the most positive of news.

Teammate and tight end Beau Harris, injured in a helmet-to-helmet collision with a Desert Vista player in Friday night's game, emerged OK from brain surgery in the wee hours Saturday morning.

"The doctor said they think he'll be fine," Gilbert coach Jesse Parker said. "They think he'll recover. It was a great relief to hear that. Last night was one of those bittersweet things. Hard to put into words. But knowing the doctor thinks he'll be OK was good news."

Harris was in surgery late Friday after suffering a serious head injury during the first quarter of host Gilbert's 28-7 win over Desert Vista. On the game's third play, Harris went down after a head-to-head collision with a Thunder defender. Harris lay motionless for about 40 minutes as trainers and eventually paramedics tended to him before he was airlifted to Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn. A Gilbert administrator said Harris was conscious and able to slowly move his hands by the time he was taken off the field, but doctors discovered brain hemorrhaging and he was rushed into surgery.

The surgery took the better part of two hours and was needed to relieve pressure in the brain and stop bleeding.

"It was a very emotional night for our kids and the families," Parker said. "I've never had an injury in my years of coaching as serious as this. Lots of different things, but never one that could have ended very badly."

Players were visibly upset after the game and were calmed by team doctor Steve Porter, a former player of Parker's in his early years at Mesa Mountain View.

"He told them what was happening and I think he helped them a great deal," Parker said. "He reassured them."

Parker described Harris as the "heart and soul of the team".

"He's very well liked," Parker said. "He's an upbeat type of kid. Enjoys practice. Plays for the love of the game. He's just a superior kid. The kind others rally around."