(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
SPOKANE, Wash. -Football season is here. And with football being the top rated sport for concussions, KHQ met up with Lewis and Clark High School's head football coach to see what steps the team is taking this year to avoid this serious injury.
"They do happen, it's not an everyday occurrence, it's definitely not an every ball game occurrence, but when they do happen, we take them very seriously," Hughes said.
Dave Hughes has been the head coach at Lewis and Clark for ten years. And as much as he loves to win, his first priority is keeping his men safe.
"We have a saying, when it doubt, sit it out," Hughes said.
The first way his coaches try to prevent concussions is by having weekly helmet checks.
"Make sure they fit right," Hughes said.
Next, Hughes said the team tackles differently now than they did when he first started coaching.
"We try to keep their head out of tackling at most points," Hughes said.
His third solution is having his players only wear their pads twice a week, compared to a few years ago when the team would practice with all their gear on four days a week.
"If you don't have your shoulder pads on, then you're not having the physical contact where a concussion could occur," Hughes said.