JAW HEAD HART'S COUTIN RETURNS FROM INJURY TO HARD-HITTING WAYS.

Byline: Heather Gripp Staff Writer

NEWHALL - Jered Coutin put hamburgers in a blender and drank them. He tried to do the same with a pizza.

Coutin did his best to satisfy his craving for his favorite foods while his jaw was wired shut for a month this past summer. But there was no satisfying the Hart High senior's hunger to play football as he was sidelined with a broken jaw.

Ever since the jaw healed, Coutin has been making up for lost time in both eating and football. For Coutin to get in as much football as possible, the safety is trying to help Hart return to the Southern Section final. The second-seeded Indians begin Division II playoffs Friday at College of the Canyons against El Toro of Lake Forest.

``He was our backup safety last year and has always been a big hitter,'' Hart coach Mike Herrington said. ``He was in line to step in as the starting safety. Then he had this devastating injury. ... He came back and has started every game for us. He's done a great job.''

The injury occurred during spring practice. Coutin recalls ducking his head as he went in for a hit. The next thing he knew there was blood everywhere and he was being taken to the hospital. What initially was thought to be a tooth injury was a broken jaw that left Coutin with long-lasting pain.

Coutin never considered quitting football, though. He loved the sport too much and had spent his entire junior season on the bench looking forward to the opportunity to contribute more this year.

``He wanted to come back,'' said teammate Aaron Montan, who spent a lot of time with Coutin during the summer recovery. ``He was always joking and in a good mood.''

At least as long as it wasn't mealtime.

``It was torture,'' Coutin said. ``I'd go over to my girlfriend's and she'd be cooking all this good food. And all the football guys, when they came to visit me at the hospital, they all had food and were eating. I know they weren't thinking about it, but it seemed like everywhere I went, people were always eating, and it'd be something good. Oh, it was so much torture.''

This is a guy who lists eating as one of his favorite activities. He looked forward to recovery as much for what he would eat as for returning to the football field.

``I remember thinking I could get back for Fourth of July barbecues,'' Coutin said. ``Then the doctor told me I had to wait. That really bummed me out.''

Coutin could only handle so many protein shakes before he started trying to find ways to have some of his favorite foods.

``We went to McDonald's and bought 10 hamburgers,'' Montan said. ``We put five in the blender for him, and I had my five.''

The liquid diet did more than just frustrate Coutin. He lost nearly 10 pounds. He tried to keep in shape by doing what he was allowed in the weight room, but without his usual supply of food, he didn't have as much energy to train as long as he would have liked.

Coutin attended every summer practice but could not participate. He sat on the sidelines during summer passing tournaments, the period which was supposed to be his prime learning experience.

Coutin anxiously awaited the chance to play again but said fear of re-injury quickly disappeared.

``I was kind of scared at first,'' he said. ``I was thinking one bad hit's going to break it again. The first day in pads I went out there and was fine. But before I put the pads on and was just thinking about it, it was kind of scary.''

Others almost seemed more afraid than Coutin, who has been his usual hard-hitting self all season.

``I don't think he was hesitant,'' Herrington said. ``He just wanted to get out there. But we were as coaches. And I think his dad was. We wanted to get the helmet on him right away. There was a couple weeks there where we were going without helmets. We let him go. He didn't hold back, he's not the type to do that.''

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Hart defensive back Jered Coutin endured a long recovery after breaking his jaw in spring practice.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer