Every Friday night between September and November I stroll the sidelines of a football field across this or another county.

I see players of all sizes, with varying ranges of speed and aggressiveness. All of these factors and a few others make up this dangerous game.

Over the past 25 or so years I have watched numbers of athletes suffer injuries of all types on the playing field, and it hasn't been limited to the football field.

Because of the way the game is played though, football itself is prone to more injuries and some are very serious.

I was at Edgewood on Friday night where in the closing minutes of the first half, Ram running back Levar Shannon went down with the most normal of tackles. When the play was over, however, Shannon did not get up. He stayed on the ground, banging his feet in obvious discomfort.

Soon, medical attention and first aid were administered to Shannon's left arm. I suspected a break of some sort due to the way his arm was wrapped and a subsequent ride to the hospital by ambulance.

Without any confirmation since the injury, I still believe we won't see Shannon back on the field this season. If that's the case, that is sad.

But while the Rams, Shannon and others deal with his injury, it always seems that there's always something a bit worse going on. In this case, there was.

Some 290 or so miles away, there was another injury on a high school football field in Homer, New York.

Ridge Barden, a 230-pound junior athlete, was part of a routine goal line play when he, like Shannon, failed to get up when the play was over.

Like Shannon, medical assistance was quickly on the scene, but that's where it all changes.

Barden didn't have a arm or leg injury, but a head injury. An injury that left him lying face down on the field.

Reports are that he was groggy, yet coherent and responsive. As he tried to stand, though, his condition deteriorated.

In two hours, Barden was dead.

The autopsy confirmed a brain bleed caused from likely a helmet-to-helmet hit. It may have been more than one hit, but who really knows.

On every play, on every field, in every state and at every age, helmets are banging together. Some very innocently and others much more violently.

We have been very fortunate that we haven't had to deal with a injury of this magnitude. The question is, will we?

I'm not sure what impact a result like that would have on me, especially if I was at that game. I pray that I will not have deal with this on a more personal level.

Football is a wonderful game played and coached by many wonderful people of all ages, colors and sizes. It's also much fun to watch. Let's keep it safe.