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Zollicoffer struggling with 5th concussion

It was difficult for Brock Zollicoffer to tell Lycoming athletic trainer Andrea Lucas he was having concussion symptoms again. It would have been easier for the senior wide receiver to just hide it.

He knew he couldn’t afford to. So after “getting his bell rung a little bit” against Widener, he approached Lucas and told her about his symptoms. According to Zollicoffer, Lucas had previously recommended he stop playing football altogether. But he just couldn’t see himself giving up the game he loves so much.

“When I think about it, I just don’t know what else I would do,” Zollicoffer said. “I have thought about walking away, but I have nothing else to do with my life right now but go to school and play football.”

Getting his bell rung against Widener is the fifth concussion Zollicoffer has had in his career. He missed Lycoming’s win last week against Lebanon Valley and will likely miss Saturday’s game against undefeated FDU-Florham as he works his way through concussion protocol. But the Maryland native, and one of the most explosive players on the Warriors’ offense, is intent on coming back to play this season.

“Yes, I am worried about it down the road,” Zollicoffer said as he watched practice Wednesday at David Person Field. “But I try not to think of that right now. I just try to play while I can and hope for the best.”

Zollicoffer is coming off a breakout junior season where his speed and athleticism gave the Lycoming offense a different dynamic opposite 6-foot-5 receiver Nick Costello. He caught 25 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns last season, including five receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns in a win over King’s.

In the two games he played this year before suffering his concussion, he showed how much of a weapon he could be by catching six passes for 162 yards. He had more than 100 yards receiving in a critical win over Widener before leaving the game.

It made it equally difficult to report his symptoms. He was impacting the offense just how head coach and play-caller Mike Clark had hoped he would coming into the season. But Zollicoffer knew something wasn’t right when he got dinged after catching a short pass in the second half.

“It was hard to tell her I was having symptoms,” Zollicoffer said. “But I would rather tell her I’m having symptoms than go back out on the field and potentially make it worse than it was.”

From his experiences, Zollicoffer knew this concussion wasn’t nearly as bad as some of the other ones he had in the past. But with his history, he’s taken things slowly. He got back to running again this week during practice, but still probably won’t play against undefeated FDU-Florham on Saturday.

Coming into his senior season, Zollicoffer knew he needed to address the issues he’s had with his concussion history. So he looked at changing what kind of helmet he was wearing. He found that the VICIS Zero 1 helmet, relatively new to the market, was rated as the best helmet by an annual Virginia Tech rating of football helmets.

In fact, in its 2018 testing, the VICIS Zero 1 rated as the best helmet on the market. But the helmet also costs sometimes as much as three times other quality helmets on the market. Zollicoffer started a GoFundMe page to raise the roughly $1,000 it would take to purchase the helmet. Zollicoffer also contacted the company to explain his situation and what the helmet could mean to him, and VICIS eventually donated a helmet to Zollicoffer, as it has done with other players who are just looking for a way to continue playing football.

The construction of the VICIS helmet is different than other helmets in that it has four layers of protection for the head, instead of the usual hard plastic shell and padding. The goal is to help dissipate the energy being transferred to the head in a collision to hopefully reduce the likelihood of concussions.

“I do feel a difference wearing it,” said Zollicoffer, who is one of about a half-dozen Lycoming players who wear the helmet. “But I was upset when I got hurt because what did I get the helmet for if I got another concussion? But I do feel a difference. When I get hit, it feels like I’m bouncing off and absorbing the hits better. I feel a lot more secure knowing I have it.”

Without Zollicoffer, Lycoming is looking for a receiver who can stretch the field the way he can. A week ago, Christoff Minott had a big 45-yard reception to set up one of Jamie Fisher’s three field goals. Dezmen Johnson also caught a pair of passes a week ago in a win over Lebanon Valley.

“I’m sure our opponents probably like that he’s out, but I don’t know that it necessarily changes what we do,” Clark said. “It might mean we have to formulate some things differently. We have to get people in better spots to help us make plays.”

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