It was an upsetting night for some Fluvanna County football fanatics when varsity quarterback Mark Grooms reluctantly decided to end his football career. On Sept. 16, Grooms was hit in the head and acquired his fourth concussion along with a gash to his head. He has been playing football for six years, which made making his decision to stop playing that much harder.

Grooms explained that his helmet had been incorrectly adjusted after a tackle and he got back up and tried to fix it but he was tackled again and his helmet was knocked off. “I told my parents [in the past] that if I got one more concussion, I would stop playing. I told them my health came first and I did not want to take any risks,” he said.

As a result, Senior Ethan Graves has taken over the role of starting quarterback. Grooms is now a team supporter and will continue to dress up on game days, and be on the sideline with the coaches and to support his teammates.

Grooms has been a football player since age 11 and has played on the Fluvanna varsity team for four years. Although he has also been a running back, his favorite position is quarterback. “Playing football over the years has helped me build character and to be a better leader on and off the field,” said Grooms. He was awarded Falcon Club Player of the Week and Schewels Athlete of the Week at his last home game.

“My dream came true with football to be a leading quarterback. I wanted to lead my team to victory and I got it,” Grooms said, referring to the win over Spotsylvania, their first home game win in two seasons.

Losing Grooms as a player had been hard on the team and its coaches.“When I told Coach [Steven] Szarmach about my decision, he was shocked and devastated that this happened to me. He said that it was a big change and the team would have to get better each week because of the absence,” said Grooms.

In addition to being the team’s head captain, Grooms is also good friends with some teammates and has developed many relationships with the team. They were all shocked and didn’t know what to say when they heard the news, but they knew it was for the best. Grooms is upset with that he has had to give up his sport, but he knows he has plenty of support from everyone he loves. “When I heard the news, I was very disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to play with my brother,” said Senior Josh Carlton.

Grooms is still a part of the team at heart and wishes he could be out there doing what he loves, but for many, he is still the “MVP” and will leave a big impact on Fluvanna. “Mark Grooms is one of the greatest football players to ever come through Fluvanna. He is my brother and I will always love him through the thick and the thin,” said Senior Jake Morris.