The initial reports on injured Banning fullback Joel Panteau appear positive after a major scare on Friday night when he was injured on the final play of Banning's 42-7 nonleague road loss to Orange Lutheran and was taken by paramedics to a local hospital.
Banning coach Chris Ferragamo said Saturday that an MRI revealed only a pinched nerve in his neck and that Panteau was released from Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach at around 3 a.m. on Friday night/Saturday morning.
"I called the hospital twice last night, and his dad called me this morning, and it's a very positive thing," Ferragamo said. "His shoulder is fine, and he's recuperating well. They didn't keep him at the hospital overnight. His MRI proved well. It looks like he's going to be OK.
"At least he came out of it without anything serious. That's important. I'm happy and thankful for that. I was worried at the time, but the paramedics did a heck of a job. So did the people from Orange Lutheran, our trainer too. Everyone was perfect for the guy."
Ferragamo said Panteau will go to his own doctor on Monday for a follow-up, but was pleased the injury is not considered serious.
Ferragamo said Panteau will miss at least 2-3 weeks, but was thankful it was not worse, especially after tending to Panteau for 30 minutes after the game until the paramedics arrived.
"We don't want him rushing back. Definitely not," Ferragamo said. "He's definitely out this week, and we're going to play it week by week and see how he progresses. It's a tough thing coming back from that kind of injury, but it's a week-by-week injury. This week, he's definitely out."
Panteau was given the ball on a draw for the final play of the game. He was brought down by the shoulders, and his head was pulled back as well in what Ferragamo called a "freaky-type thing."
"I've had players with dislocations - on shoulders and fingers. I've had broken legs, but not a serious neck injury," Ferragamo said. "You get players with stingers all the time, but that goes away pretty quick. It's like hitting your crazy bone.
"We do a lot of work on our necks at practice to try and prevent this kind of thing."
Panteau's injury is a blow for a Banning team that opens Marine League play against Narbonne (4-1) this week.
Kome Eteuati is expected to be one of the players moved into Panteau's place at fullback, though Ferragamo has been one of Panteau's biggest fans all year.
"He's the best," Ferragamo said. "He's fast, he's athletic, and he has all the physical tools to play. I hope he's back soon, but we're definitely not rushing him."
Banning coach Chris Ferragamo said Saturday that an MRI revealed only a pinched nerve in his neck and that Panteau was released from Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach at around 3 a.m. on Friday night/Saturday morning.
"I called the hospital twice last night, and his dad called me this morning, and it's a very positive thing," Ferragamo said. "His shoulder is fine, and he's recuperating well. They didn't keep him at the hospital overnight. His MRI proved well. It looks like he's going to be OK.
"At least he came out of it without anything serious. That's important. I'm happy and thankful for that. I was worried at the time, but the paramedics did a heck of a job. So did the people from Orange Lutheran, our trainer too. Everyone was perfect for the guy."
Ferragamo said Panteau will go to his own doctor on Monday for a follow-up, but was pleased the injury is not considered serious.
Ferragamo said Panteau will miss at least 2-3 weeks, but was thankful it was not worse, especially after tending to Panteau for 30 minutes after the game until the paramedics arrived.
"We don't want him rushing back. Definitely not," Ferragamo said. "He's definitely out this week, and we're going to play it week by week and see how he progresses. It's a tough thing coming back from that kind of injury, but it's a week-by-week injury. This week, he's definitely out."
Panteau was given the ball on a draw for the final play of the game. He was brought down by the shoulders, and his head was pulled back as well in what Ferragamo called a "freaky-type thing."
"I've had players with dislocations - on shoulders and fingers. I've had broken legs, but not a serious neck injury," Ferragamo said. "You get players with stingers all the time, but that goes away pretty quick. It's like hitting your crazy bone.
"We do a lot of work on our necks at practice to try and prevent this kind of thing."
Panteau's injury is a blow for a Banning team that opens Marine League play against Narbonne (4-1) this week.
Kome Eteuati is expected to be one of the players moved into Panteau's place at fullback, though Ferragamo has been one of Panteau's biggest fans all year.
"He's the best," Ferragamo said. "He's fast, he's athletic, and he has all the physical tools to play. I hope he's back soon, but we're definitely not rushing him."
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