Peterson out for season after freak accident

Peterson, who according to coach Rodney Huber, was taking pictures with teammates in the locker room before the game, slipped and fell, hitting her face on the corner of the bench she was standing on.

“It was the worst thing I’ve seen,” Huber said. “It went straight through her gum, affected a few of her teeth and she had a big gash on the right side of her face.”

According to Huber, Peterson was taken to the hospital in Osage and sent on to Mayo, where she had a CAT scan; she had 100 stitches and three plates put in her face for fractures and will most likely have to have plastic surgery to repair nerve damage.

He added that he didn’t get to see much of the injury because Peterson was holding a towel to her face and there was a lot of bleeding.

“I feel awful,” Huber said. “Needless to say she won’t be playing for a minimum of six weeks, so she is done.”

It was Peterson’s 18th birthday. An all-state volleyball player, Peterson holds West Fork school records for kills and digs.

But West Fork pulled together for a big win over the Wildcats, leading 40-10 at the half.

“I was proud of them (the team),” Huber said. “They really laid it on them (Riceville). I didn’t know how they were going to respond because they looked pale; looked like they’d seen a ghost.”