Bullitt County football player recovering from brain surgery after suffering concussion during game

SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Bullitt County community is rallying together in support of a North Bullitt High School student who suffered a concussion during a football game and was rushed into brain surgery.

Zach Vorbrink, 17, walked off the field after being involved in a tackle during Friday's game between North Bullitt and South Oldham. He collapsed after reaching the sideline.

"I heard some commotion going on and I heard someone say something about Zach and I knew he was in distress and knew he was in trouble,” North Bullitt coach Adam Billings said.

Vorbrink was rushed to Norton Children’s Hospital, placed on a ventilator and underwent surgery. He had a brain bleed, and it was beginning to swell.

"After the game, coach told us that he had brain bleed and all the severities and stuff, and we were all really taken by surprise from it and didn't really know how to take it," said Andrew Hadley, Vorbrink's friend and teammate.

Vorbrink, an outside linebacker, has been a force to be reckoned with so far this season on the field. Billings calls him one of the toughest and strongest players on the team.

Sunday afternoon, a group of Vorbrink’s teammates and friends gathered at the high school to decorate his parking spot along with the hashtag "five strong," which is his jersey number. Many held signs with photos of Zach — just a few feet away from where his photo hangs on the side of the school’s athletics building.

"We're all pretty close; we're all a real tight family around here, and he is an easy guy to love," Hadley said.

Parents of players also handed out bracelets that read "Stronger together" that will be worn in Vorbrink’s honor.

Zach’s prognosis is good. He had a CT scan Sunday and remains in the intensive care unit at Norton Children’s Hospital. He's been taken off the ventilator and has been squeezing his parents' hands.

"Every report that they've got since the injury has been the best it could be," Billings said. "It's an answer to prayer."

It’s unclear how long Vorbrink will remain in the hospital. Billings said T-shirts and decals are being made in his honor to be displayed at North Bullitt’s game against Jeffersontown on Friday.