TSSAA football championship: Pearl-Cohn QB Martino Owens dislocates ankle, fractures fibula near end of loss

COOKEVILLE — Martino Owens laid on the turf at Tucker Stadium.

The Pearl-Cohn junior quarterback's right foot faced one way. His left foot turned the other direction, the result of a dislocated ankle.

"They popped it back into place," Pearl-Cohn coach Tony Brunetti said after the Firebirds' 27-0 loss to Alcoa in Friday's Class 3A BlueCross Bowl state football championship. "I don't think he broke anything. That's a plus. 

"Still going down at the end of the game, he played so hard. He played hard."

Brunetti told The Tennessean on Saturday that an X-ray showed he also had a fractured fibula and that Owens will be in a cast. Brunetti added that there was no ligament damage.

The injury happened with 1:54 left. Owens was sacked by Taharin Sudderth for an 8-yard loss when he landed awkwardly.

Brunetti said a doctor told him afterward they didn't think there was ligament damage.

"It was real easy to get back (in)," Brunetti said. "Precautionary wise, we put him in an air cast."

Owens was taken off the field on a stretcher and left in an ambulance.

He added that Owens didn't appear to be in a lot of pain. He said he seemed scared more than anything.

"When you see an ankle (like that), but it got moved back in place," Brunetti said. "I think he'll be down for awhile. I don't think it broke anything."

Owens was 8-of-17 passing for 35 yards and was sacked three games. It was his worst game of the season.  Owens finished with 2,068 passing yards with 28 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.