Running Back Recovers From Wounds

Joel Gonzalez, a running back for Saddleback High, may be out for the season while recovering from stab wounds he received during a brawl at a party in Santa Ana.

According to Saddleback football Coach Jerry Witte, Gonzalez attended a party Aug. 11 with friends and became involved in a melee. An unknown assailant stabbed Gonzalez in the lower abdomen and he sustained a punctured lung, Witte said.

Gonzalez underwent surgery a day later and has been told it will be “five to six weeks,” according to Witte, before doctors decide if he can play football again.

Gonzalez gained 1,235 yards and scored 12 touchdowns last year and was expected to carry the Roadrunners’ offense. He also anchored the defense as a linebacker.

“This is definitely a blow to us,” Witte said. “We don’t have kids who can just step in and replace a player like this.”

A spokesman for the Santa Ana Police Dept. said police responded to a call about a street fight at a residence near Saddleback High at about 10:30 p.m. and found two male juveniles suffering from non-life threatening injuries and had them transported to a nearby hospital. No arrests have been made.

Gonzalez was released from the hospital a week ago and watched his Saddleback teammates during practice Tuesday.