Hampton suffered his injury during an attempt to finish a double leg during the first thirty seconds of a match. According to Alleghany High School head wrestling coach Derek Calloway the match was typical for Luke who he says was looking forward to a matchup with another top-ranked wrestler in the finals of the tournament.
Luke HamptonLuke shot a double from far away, but when his opponent stuffed the shot he re-gripped into a single and pulled it to his feet. With the forward motion of Luke's shot driving them out-of-bounds his opponent was able to once again sprawl at the edge of the mat. Luke stumbled overtop his opponent and hit his head on the padded wall just a few feet from the competition space.
"We knew he was hurt bad, but you kinda think he'll be alright," said Coach Calloway. "But his mom came back about 15 minutes before her other son was going to wrestle and gave us the news that he was being flown to Winston-Salem."
Her youngest son Jake Hampton was about to step on the mat at 160 lbs. against the top-ranked opponent in the state. Coach Kenney said that Jake could go with his mother, but he refused, insisting that he wanted to wrestle for his brother. In a match that coach could only describe as "incredible" and "remarkable" Jake was able to upset his top-ranked opponent.
Jeremiah, the eldest Hampton boy, is on leave from the Marine Corps and was also able to join the family.
Luke's injures are serious, he's suffering from a fractured C-5 and C-6 vertebrae that affected his spinal cord. In an effort to speed his recovery doctors recommended he be flown to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, which specializes in recovery for patients suffering from spinal cord injuries. To pay for the flight the family needed $10,000, money the coach said appeared from within their tiny North Carolina community inside a day.
Sparta has only a few thousand residents and Alleghany High School, where Luke is a senior, has 400 students. According to Coach Calloway Luke's injury has brought the community together in their support of the family, and each other.
"The local community, the wrestling community here, and all over the country is special. We have a small town, but it's all about wrestling. They came up with the money for Luke's flight in no-time and no questions asked, they just did it."
The legal issues surrounding the setup of mats is still in question, meaning that the flight had to be fronted by the family and donors, but will likely be repaid at a later date, said Coach Calloway.
A local wrestling coach reached out to Wisconsin head wrestling coach Barry Davis, who was able to get in touch with Green Bay Packers wide receiver Corey Matthews. The wide out sent signed jerseys, footballs and other memorabilia to be auctioned off on behalf of Luke's care.
Those interested in helping Luke and his family can send donation to the high school care of Coach Calloway. Checks can be made out to "The Luke Hampton Fund."
The Luke Hampton Fund
C/O Head Wrestling Coach Derrick Calloway
Alleghany High School
404 Trojan Avenue
Sparta, NC
28675
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