Gunner Rivers, the senior quarterback and NC State commit, left St. Michael Catholic’s season opener on Saturday after taking a hard hit to his right knee. The injury happened during the Cardinals‘ second drive against Battle Ground Academy, with the game nationally televised and the score sitting at 7-6 in the first quarter.
Rivers, the son of head coach and former NFL quarterback Philip Rivers, scrambled to pick up a first down but was brought down violently before reaching the line. He stayed on the turf, clutching his right leg, and eventually needed help walking off the field. The drive stalled without him, and St. Michael missed a field goal, wasting a promising possession.
Before the injury, the younger Rivers was sharp, completing 3 of 4 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown. He found running back Nygel Mitchell on a 26-yard screen pass to open the scoring on the Cardinals’ first drive. Marshall Pitre came on in relief, but the offense visibly struggled to maintain its earlier rhythm.
ESPN sideline reporter Ashley Stroelein relayed an early update from Philip Rivers during the broadcast. “He says we feel like the knee is fine, but right now he’s having some spasms after that hit,” she said. “He’s getting some work on that right knee, currently has it taped up and is working with trainers. But it sounds like, if he can, he will return to the game.”
But as halftime approached, the optimism started to fade. Gunner Rivers was spotted heading to the locker room with a knee brace on. The ESPN broadcast described what happened next: “During the break, we saw Gunner Rivers put his helmet on and try to throw the football. Very first throw that he made, he kind of planted with his right foot as he let go of the ball and just immediately winced in pain.”
When the teams came back after the break, Rivers was without his helmet and shoulder pads, signaling his day was over. The initial belief from his father was that there was no structural damage, but the spasms and subsequent pain during that halftime test were enough to keep him sidelined. St. Michael Catholic had to finish the game without its star quarterback, a tough break for a team with high hopes this season.
