Herbert Back In Fastlane

 “Well, my head’s hurting a bit,” he joked.

That was the first sentence that Lane Herbert said during a phone interview on Tuesday as he was being discharged from the hospital.

Herbert suffered a fractured skull during an incident in auto shop class at Glasgow High School on Friday. The fracture required a six-hour surgery in Billings after Herbert was transported late Friday.

No wonder his head was hurting a few short days later. In spite of that, he sounded upbeat and positive on the phone as he was leaving the hospital to stay with family in Billings for the week.

Herbert wasn’t just lying around the hospital watching Wheel of Fortune, though.

“I did listen to the football game the whole time,” he said. “It was probably about five minutes afterwards that I stopped crying. And then there was another ten minutes of screaming after that.”

He wasn’t alone in that sentiment as the entire Scottie team and fans seemed to be doing the same after their tough defeat at the hands of Baker. Still, that was the lone down moment for Herbert, who has seemed to keep a positive outlook throughout, thanks in large part to the community around him.

“I just wanted to thank everybody. I’ve gotten a ton of support from all over,” he said.

That support stretched from Valley County to Billings and from Baker and Malta.

Baker’s football team, fans and coaches sent a card wishing the best and a speedy recovery for Herbert before their game with the Scotties on Saturday.

“Football is very unimportant when it comes to something like [Herbert’s injury],” said Baker’s head football coach Dave Breitbach.

And during Malta’s home playoff game, the Mustangs passed around a donation hat to express their support for Herbert and his family.

“Class B athletics, in general, is a very small community,” said Malta Head Coach Scott King. “The beauty in Class B Montana is, while we’re competing hard, there is a mutual respect and when someone suffers an injury, it affects everybody.”

The support at Scottie Field was evident, as well, on Saturday. The stands were filled with t-shirts with Herbert’s number 12 and signs on the sideline showing their support.

It was a wonderful display of support after such a tragic injury. Herbert is expected to have staples removed on Monday for the final procedure needed and could be returning to Glasgow soon after.