Thursday, Oct. 09, 2008

Injured East Side player shows more improvement

Hunt may soon get out of intensive care

ST. LOUIS -- East St. Louis High football player Demond Hunt Jr. continued to show signs of improvement Wednesday while recovering from a serious head injury during a game on Friday.

Hunt, a 16-year-old junior, remains in serious condition in the Intensive Care Unit at Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis, but could be moved out of ICU soon, said his father, Demond Hunt Sr.

"Demond had a real good day (Tuesday) and we're hoping that he'll be moved out of ICU as soon as a bed opens up," Demond Hunt Sr. said. "He has an unevenness in one of his eyes, but the doctors tell us that that should clear up with time."

Hunt, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound linebacker, was injured Friday late in the second quarter of the Flyers' 65-12 win over Collinsville. He was taken to Anderson Hospital in Maryville, then airlifted to Cardinal Glennon, where he has been in intensive care since early Saturday morning.

Hunt also is becoming more alert.

"He is awake for longer periods of time now," Demond Hunt Sr. said. "He still sleeps a lot but now when you say his name, he wakes up right away. That's a very good sign.

"Last night they woke him up every hour on the hour asking him questions like, 'What is your name? Where do you live? What year is it? Who is the president?' He was able to answer them all."

Contact reporter Dean Criddle at 239-2665 or dcriddle@bnd.com.