Player seriously hurt

FORT MYERS - Friday night, Robb Roys participated in Senior Night before helping the Charlotte High football team cap a 9-1 regular season with a victory over DeSoto County.

Two days later, he's in a hospital wondering if he will walk again.

Roys, 17, suffered an injury to his spine after being involved in an all-terrain vehicle accident Sunday afternoon in a remote area of Harbour Heights.

He was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital where he underwent hours of surgery to fuse together his vertebrae.

Roys can move his arms, but his prognosis for walking again is unclear.

"It's a real shame," Charlotte director of athletics Brian Nolan said. "It makes you want to cry."

According to police reports, Roys was wearing a helmet.

"He's got about six months of rehab," said Tarpons football coach Binky Waldrop, who has visited Roys in the hospital. "It's not going to be easy."

A defensive tackle, Roys was the team's leading tackler among the defensive linemen.

The Tarpons play Friday in a Class 5A-Region 3 quarterfinal game at Fort Myers High.