PHOTO BY STEVE MCCRANK: Gardena QB Keshaun Malone (No. 11) sustained an ankle injury at Wednesday's practice that could force him out of the opener Sept. 4, leaving Coach Ed Lalau scrambling.
Uh oh, the football season is still over a week away, and Gardena could already be in trouble.
Quarterback Keshaun Malone, expected to be the leader of new
coach Ed Lalau's rebuilding project at Gardena, sustained a left ankle injury
at practice Wednesday that has the Panthers holding their breath.
"He can't even stand on it," Lalau said.
Lalau has said that Malone, also a standout linebacker, will
almost certainly miss Gardena's season opener at Charter Oak on Sept. 4.
With backup quarterback Dezden Petty already banged up with
a knee injury, Lalau said he will likely turn to receiver Emanuel Oseguera to
take over at quarterback.
"We decided to put our most athletic person back there,"
Lalau said.
Malone was the undisputed leader for Gardena last season,
the bright spot of a 2-8 season. He threw for 905 yards and 7 TDs with 6 INTs
last season while adding a team-leading 392 rushing yards and seven more
touchdowns.
The extent of Malone's injury is unknown, and he is expected to make a trip to
the doctor soon.
Yet the sight of a hobbled Malone was a blow for Gardena.
"We were kind of building this team around him," Lalau said.
"For him to go down, it's like, 'Oh man.' We've got a couple other
quarterbacks, but they have totally different styles. We're scrambling right
now, a week before the season.
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