Sun-Star All-Area football (defense): Injury didn’t derail Cook’s season

Jermon Cook’s season was almost over before it began. Two days before the first day of football practice, the Merced High School senior injured his ankle while hiking.

The third-year linebacker missed the Bears’ first three games. The ankle never fully recovered, but Cook was able to play through the pain to help lead Merced to a second consecutive Central California Conference championship.

Cook still led the Bears in tackles with 105 and was named the CCC’s Best Defensive Player. Cook also is the Sun-Star’s Defensive Player of the Year.

“It hurt me watching those first three games, especially with us losing two of them,” said the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Cook. “I can’t remember ever starting 1-2 at Merced High. It made it tough because we were giving up a lot of points.”

The injury occurred while Cook was staying at a friend’s cabin near Reno. They went on a hike in the Sierra Nevada mountains. They lost their trail on the way back, and Cook found himself on a cliff with a 10-foot drop.

“I jumped into a bush, thinking it was thick enough to catch me,” Cook said. “There was a giant boulder in the bush. It took me two hours to limp down the mountain. I thought my season might be over.”

Merced coach Rob Scheidt wasn’t sure if Cook would play.

“I think he thought I was joking with him when I told him there was some doubt in my mind that he’d be able to play this year when we initially evaluated his ankle,” Scheidt said. “Once he got on the field, the confidence of our team, including our coaches, went up, and that made us a better team. If anyone watched him, even in our last game against Monterey Trail, he wasn’t healthy. It’s the kind of injury that may take six months or a year to heal.”

Cook watched from the sideline as Merced sandwiched a 49-39 loss to Clovis West in week zero and a 44-34 loss to Edison of Fresno in week two around a 63-8 win over El Capitan.

Cook wasn’t the only starter missing. Seniors Justin Solis and Lawrence Anderson also were injured.

“There was no one out there to lead them,” Cook said. “It was kind of like throwing the young guys to the dogs. We hadn’t solidified our front four. Our defense was shaky.”

Cook returned the following week, playing sparingly in a 70-35 win over Enochs. It was no coincidence the Merced defense quickly improved when Cook returned.

“There’s certain players who can play two or three gaps, and he’s one of those guys,” Scheidt said. “Jermon played both the As and Bs, and that made us a better team. It freed up other guys to do things, and we were able to stop people. Not only could Jermon play those gaps, but he could also get other guys lined up in the right spots.”

As a third-year player, he was like a coach on the field, recognizing formations and tendencies. After giving up close to 34 points per game without Cook, the Bears averaged 21 points allowed in the nine games he played.

Once Cook was on the field, the pain from his ankle became tolerable.

“Coach Scheidt helped me with the mentality with that,” Cook said. “He basically told me it’s never going to not hurt. We might as well tape it up and play through it. Once I got out there, the adrenaline helped. I was out there to make plays.”

This story was originally published January 5, 2015 at 8:08 PM with the headline "Sun-Star All-Area football (defense): Injury didn’t derail Cook’s season."