‘He’s damn tough.’ Despite playing hurt, Dos Palos QB has Broncos playing for championship
Dos Palos High School senior Peyton Van Worth grimaced as he ran the ball in the second half against Exeter during the Central Section Division IV semifinals last week.
The Broncos quarterback appeared to be favoring his hamstring as he hopped along the sideline.
There was no way Van Worth was coming out of the game. Not after everything he has gone through to play this season.
Van Worth played through a partially torn labrum in his throwing arm early this season. Now he’s healthy, and the No. 2 seeded Broncos (11-1) are hosting No. 5 Torres (10-3) in the Central Section Division IV championship at Bill Hume Stadium on Friday night.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
“All the pain, everything I went through was 100% worth it,” Van Worth said. “We made it to the Valley Championship game, we won a league championship, it’s definitely paid off.”
Van Worth had to talk his coach into letting him play through the injury at one point this season. He had to convince him he would rest his arm when he could and he could handle the pain.
Dos Palos head coach Rob Calvert even promoted sophomore quarterback Gavin Estrada in case he decided to rest Van Worth for a couple weeks.
“I told him I’ll take it easy if I have to, I’ll take a step back,” Van Worth said. “I want to play on Friday nights with my buddies. I can handle it, Coach.”
The injury
Van Worth first felt the pain in his arm playing seven-on-seven in June. He tried to throw the fotball but had to finally see a doctor.
He was diagnosed with a partially torn labrum, which is the attachment site for the shoulder ligaments. It supports the joint and the rotator cuff tendons and muscles. It helps stabilize the shoulder.
Van Worth’s doctor said he could play through it if he could manage the pain, but surgery was an option.
Van Worth spent July making the 33-mile trip from Dos Palos to Merced for physical therapy three times a week. His shoulder improved, but there was a painful knot under his arm.
He was good to go at the start of the season, but after the first game against Los Banos, the knot returned under his arm.
“The first three weeks of the season I was in quite a bit of pain because of the knot under my arm,” Van Worth said.
Playing under restrictions
Calvert could see Van Worth was playing through pain. At practice, Van Worth would throw sidearm or short-arm his throws.
It got to the point where Calvert wondered if he had to protect his quarterback from himself.
“I’ll have to be honest,” Calvert said. “After the Summerville game (second week of the season) we brought up our JV quarterback. He took all the reps in practice and that next Friday it was a game-time decision. What it came down to is I thought if it was my kid and he wanted to play, I’d want him to be able to play.”
It wasn’t without restrictions.
Calvert didn’t allow Van Worth to throw at practice during the week and he limited the Broncos’ passing plays on Friday nights.
Against Pioneer Valley, Van Worth threw only eight passes, and against Avenal he had only 11 pass attempts.
The Broncos had to stay away from deep throws when they did pass and turned to more screen plays and short passing options.
“I understood it,” Van Worth said. “On Mondays and Tuesdays I would sit and watch practice. When we did inside run, I would participate. When we worked on the passing game I would have to sit back and watch.”
Meanwhile, Van Worth had to ice his arm twice a day during the season.
“There were a couple games when I couldn’t lift my arm up or straighten it out all the way after the game,” he said. “I went through so much ice this year. I had to ice the front and back of my arm twice a day every day.”
Healthy again
Van Worth said he rested his arm completely during the Broncos’ bye week, which came in September, and when Dos Palos played Mendota later that month, Calvert said they were able to turn their quarterback loose again.
Against Mendota, Van Worth completed 19 of 27 passes for 291 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-41 victory.
Van Worth has passed for 1,842 yards and 15 touchdowns this season to help lead the Broncos to their 12-1 record and the West Sierra League championship.
One of the benefits with the Broncos limiting Van Worth early on is the young offensive line was forced to develop and Dos Palos was able to establish a strong running game with sophomore back Andre Flores, who has rushed for 1,399 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Calvert can only admire what his quarterback has gone through this season.
“He has Van Worth blood in him,” Calvert said. “He’s damn tough.”
The Van Worths have a family legacy at Dos Palos. Peyton’s father, Mike Van Worth, played quarterback and middle linebacker for the Broncos, winning three Valley Championships. He also made the state finals in wrestling.
Peyton’s grandfather, Bill Van Worth, was a longtime coach and athletic direction at Dos Palos.
Now Peyton has an opportunity to win a Valley Championship. He says he plays with almost no pain now in his arm.
“I’ve always looked up to my dad,” he said. “I’ve always heard about the player he was and how he won three Valley championships. Ever since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to win a Valley championship and follow in his footsteps and win one for Dos Palos.”
