Vikings quarterback focuses on heath, football after surgery

Woodbridge, Va. - Corey Taylor could not be distracted by the possibility of even missing one practice.

Not now anyway. He'd waited so long for the opportunity to start at quarterback for the Woodbridge High School varsity football team, first by paying his dues playing freshman and junior varsity and then backing up two-year starter Frank Buckley last year.

This was his turn and he had already jumped at the chance to step out as the leader. All summer, he brought players in to throw to, run routes with or lift weights with so that when preseason prac-tice started Aug. 5 there would be no confusion over his readiness to run the Woodbridge offense.

His teammates would know by his play and his presence they could count on him.

But then came some discouraging news that put his plans on hold for a moment. He needed sur-gery to remove a small mass of tissue that was protruding from his neck.

Focused as he was on football, the first question Taylor asked the doctor was whether the surgery could wait until after the season. The doctor said no, it needed to be done immediately.

When he heard that, Taylor tried to put a positive spin on it, but it was hard.

The surgery would force him to sit out almost the entire first week of practice. Granted, it wasn't like he was out for the whole season, but it was still a setback and he didn't like it one bit.

So while his teammates geared up for the opening of two a days, Taylor prepared for a trip to Potomac Hospital just over two weeks ago. The outpatient procedure was only 30 minutes long and left a small incision mark across his Adam's apple.

While he waited to heal, his teammates and coaches kept him connected by checking on him and reminding him to stay focused on what really mattered.

"He was down, but I would call him and tell him that football is a small part of life," Woodbridge head coach Kevin Smith said. "He's got the next 50 to 60 years of his life to think about."

Taylor by no means was taking his condition lightly. He first noticed something was wrong when he was looking in the mirror one day and saw something sticking out from his neck. It didn't hurt, but it needed to be addressed.

Even now, Taylor said tests are still being done to determine whether the tissue mass is benign or not.

But even though he's not totally in the clear, Taylor has refused to dwell on the unknown.

On Aug. 11, he reported to work at Woodbridge and felt like he had never been away. Making the right reads, tossing crisp passes, tucking the ball away and running upfield. It all clicked from the start.

Certainly, Taylor will be a key part in Woodbridge's quest to win a third straight Group AAA Cardinal District title and make its seventh straight playoff appearance. Unlike Buckley, who was more of a traditional drop-back passer, Taylor is a dual threat and his mobility will be an added bonus to an already talented backfield.

But that's secondary to Taylor. He wants to be the go-to guy primarily so that his team-mates can rely on him to get the job done. That's a big reason he considers former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman a role model.

"I like how he played and he was a good leader," Taylor said. "That's how I want to be."

On Friday, the Vikings play their first scrimmage of the season, visiting Mount Vernon. The game, like all exhibitions, will give each team a chance to work things out in preparation for the regular season.

For Taylor, though, it will be another reminder he's back where he belongs, grateful for the opportunity and more than willing to make the most of it. He's no longer the backup watch-ing from the sidelines, but the one in the middle of the action, running the show and loving every moment of it.

"This is his team," Smith said.

Sports editor David Fawcett can be reached at 703-530-3911