Stanwood’s Zipp in stable condition

Published 11:37 pm Saturday, September 13, 2008

The Stanwood High School football player who was injured in last night’s Meadowdale versus Stanwood game is still at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Stanwood head coach Dick Abrams said this morning.

“He is improving. He’s in stable condition,” Abrams said.

The injured player is Ben Zipp, a junior in his third year with the Spartans football program. Zipp, 16, suffered a subdural hematoma — the result of a serious head injury —at an undetermined point during the game, Stanwood-Camano School District spokesperson Cathy Britt said.

According to Stanwood’s roster, Zipp is a 6-foot-1, 205-pound running back/linebacker.

After playing defense during a drive that ended in a Meadowdale touchdown late in the first quarter, Zipp walked off the field and told a trainer he was injured, Abrams said.

“The next thing I knew they were calling for a helicopter to come in and to clear the field,” Abrams said.

Zipp was airlifted to Harborview and Stanwood officials decided to suspend the game with Meadowdale leading 14-7 a few plays into the second quarter. It’s not clear if the non-division game will be completed at some point, Abrams said.

Abrams, Stanwood administrators and many community members drove to Harborview to support Zipp, said Abrams.

Zipp will be in the intensive-care unit at Harborview for three days and will stay in the hospital for at least a week, Britt said.

The best news, she said, is Zipp will be OK.

Many members of the Stanwood community and football teammates have visited Zipp at Harborview, Britt said. Zipp’s parents told Britt they “have been overwhelmed by the amount of support that they’ve received from the Stanwood community.”

After reviewing the game film, coach Abrams and his assistant coaches can’t pinpoint a particular play in which Zipp was injured.

“It’s still a mystery to us what happened,” Abrams said.

Zipp also plays basketball. He was a reserve wing on the 2007-2008 Spartans team.