Jayden Collins isn't the first football player to suffer an awful leg injury and he won't be the last.

However, the gruesome nature and circumstances of his compound fracture two weeks ago are hopefully once in a lifetime. Not only for Collins sake but for any other player on that field, or anyone within earshot for that matter.

Such was the pain and shock for Collins, that even after being surrounded by trainers, teammates, coaches and family, his painful screams were easily heard by anyone on the field or sidelines.

And because it took the ambulance nearly 25 minutes to arrive (and therefore no pain relief), the screams grew louder and more desperate. It didn't take long for players on both sides to realize the dire nature of Collins' situation.

"Worst I've ever seen"

Jayden's mother Satina was trying to track the game as she strolled her younger daughter around just outside the fence of the track on Highland's sideline.

The game was reaching its most dramatic point midway through the fourth quarter. The Hawks led 24-22 and were driving in hopes of slowing down a furious comeback by Casteel, which trailed Highland 24-0 at halftime.

That's when everything changed for Jayden, that playoff game and his mother, who ended up riding in the ambulance with Jayden to the hospital.

"I'm just so glad he's ok and he'll be able to recover," Satina Collins said a week after her son's injury.

"One of his assistant coaches, Terry Fair, told me this was the worst injury he'd ever seen."

Keep in mind Fair has coached over two decades, and was a star football player at South Mountain High and Tennessee before spending significant time in the NFL.

After a few minutes of play stoppage, Satina learned it was her son Jayden that had been injured. After situating her daughter and touching base with her husband, she made it out to Jayden, who was surrounded by trainers from both schools as he continued screaming in what he would later describe from 100% pain, but also the shock of it.

As she got closer, Highland coach Brock Farrel tried comforting Satina but told her, "It doesn't look good."

Satina tried her best to comfort her son. But she couldn't help notice the extreme nature of the injury.

"I just remember his leg pointing in the wrong direction. I kept telling him, 'I'm here I'm here.' There's nothing worse for a parent than knowing you're child is suffering and you kind of feel helpless."

How it Happened
Collins injury was about as bad as leg breaks get: compound open fracture.

That's when both lower leg bones--the tibia and fibula--completely break and protrude the skin. The compound fracture is painful enough, the 'open' fracture takes more pressure and creates more potential health issues, pain and visual shock. Unfortunately, offensive linemen may tend to be vulnerable to such leg and ankle injuries, as they're constantly planting their legs to create as much leverage as possible while blocking; and also because they're blind to much of the action in terms of where the quarterback or ball carrier is.

In this case it was Collins' teammate, Bosten Renneman, who was tackled at the wrong place, wrong moment and wrong angle. The junior running back weighs 165 pounds compared to Collins' 270, but he was also being tackled by Casteel's 225-pound defensive lineman Rocco Fatongiatau.

The combination of those two players and their momentum going into Collins' planted leg meant a worst-case scenario.

The result was not only Collins' left leg pointing nearly 90 degrees the wrong way, but his foot appeared to be twisted 180 degrees. A referee was the first to rush to Collins, but players on the field heard the break.

The play occurred slightly closer to the visitor's sideline, and within a few seconds Casteel players could hear Collins repeatedly screaming "somebody help me" for the next 15-20 minutes.

It was horrifying.

As time went on, both bleachers eventually became silent. Not everyone knew who was injured, but everyone knew it was bad, and no one could wait for the ambulance to arrive.

"Man, they need to get here quicker. His leg is messed up," Fatongiatau said anxiously from the Casteel sideline.

When asked if he knew or what happened, the Casteel senior explained.

"I heard the break like a pop. Within a split second I was on the ground after the tackle, and the way we ended up on the ground I was looking right into (Collins) face and it was bad. It was more than just normal pain."

After some time, everyone on Highland's sideline got together on one knee to pray. Casteel players and coaches followed suit. The silence was deafening, especially with Collins cries still audible.

Soon after the team prayers, ambulance sirens were finally heard.

Medical personnel, coaches and teammates surround Jayden Collins before he was transported to the hospital Nov. 13th. (Photo by Ben Stapley/AZPreps365)"I still remember screaming bloody murder from the moment it happened," Collins recalled a week ago while recovering at home. "It was scary for sure. That and the pain were just really frightening altogether. I remember the first paramedics finally arriving and asking me my pain level, and if I needed to fly to the moon. I guess that was their way of telling me they could completely kill the pain."

Medics administered morphine, but it didn't send him to the moon.

In fact, his yells eventually turned more desperate:

"What is going on right now!?" Collins pleaded repeatedly.

Collins doesn't remember much of those few moments after the medics arrived.

"All I remember is not understanding where I was at that point," Collins added.

To comprehend the level of shock and his state of mind at that point, emergency responders decided to administer ketamine before loading him on to the ambulance.

"I don't remember the dosage, but I guess they gave it to me five different times altogether before getting to the hospital," he said.

Ketamine is known as an anxiety medication, but is also an anesthetic that can induce loss of consciousness.

The Aftermath
Collins remembers the ambulance ride somewhat, but says the pain came and went.

"At one point they tried to carefully set my legs down and left foot was hanging off the edge of the gurney," Collins said.

Before surgery, Satina says her son was still a bit frantic, but he was suddenly worried about the game, not knowing the outcome.

Back at Highland, the game eventually went on, but it wasn't easy for players on either team. Besides the shock of what occurred, nearly 40 minutes had gone by. Players had to warm-up again like they do after halftime.

Casteel eventually completed its miraculous comeback, winning 29-27 in an upset.

Collins finally underwent surgery, with doctors using plates and screws to reset the bones. He should be able to make a full recovery.

"It was pretty traumatic for sure. I've got a long road, but I should be able to get to full strength by next season," he said.

For his family, Satina emphasized her gratitude for her son's health and the support the family received.

"The Highland family has been amazing to us," Satina said. "From coach Farrel on down, the trainers and teammmates and families, Jayden felt a lot of love."