Football: Taft’s D.J. Morgan has torn ACL
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The news was not good today for Woodland Hills Taft football-track standout D.J. Morgan. An MRI diagnosis on his injured knee revealed a torn ACL and partial tear of the meniscus, according to Coach Matt Kerstetter. His football season is over and his track season is in jeopardy. Surgery will be needed.
Morgan, who has committed to USC, was injured Thursday night during Taft’s City Section Division I playoff opener against Garfield. An MRI was done on Friday. A team doctor had expressed concern after examining the injury Thursday night.
It’s a devastating blow to sports fans in Los Angeles and elsewhere, because Morgan is the No. 1 hurdler in the world for his age group at 110 meters. Last summer in Italy, he won the 110 hurdes at the World Youth championships.
He also has rushed for nearly 4,800 yards in his four-year football career at Taft. Taft has lots of depth at the running back position and will likely turn to Lucky Radley to replace Morgan for Wednesday’s quarterfinal playoff game against Los Angeles Dorsey.
But Morgan’s speed and versatility made him a unique player in the City Section. He even served as the backup quarterback last week when starter Bam Goodall was injured in the second quarter. But Morgan went down after a 15-yard run at the outset of the third quarter, and that injury will have ramifications for the rest of the sports season.
-- Eric Sondheimer