A triumphant return

St. Paul’s junior Michael Doherty, who was seriously injured in a Nov. 11, 2016, football game against Archbishop Shaw, is applaudedby fans as he enters the arena on campus for his school’s basketball game against Slidell on Feb. 10. An accidental collision caused a break of one cervical vertebra and a fracture of another. Surgery performed that night was successful in relieving pressure on his spinal cord and restored blood flow in the artery on the right side of his neck. A subsequent CT scan revealed that his vertebral column had lined up properly. Doherty’s recovery has been ongoing and his improvement “miraculous,” said a St. Paul’s official.

Doherty joined his schoolmates at courtside for the District 6-5A game.