‘A great kid’: Joel Lopez prepares to return for Mariner

CAPE CORAL, Fla. - Mariner junior safety Joel Lopez is expected to return to the field this week after a knee injury kept him out of action for most of the past two games.

Lopez was injured on the opening kickoff of Mariner’s Week 3.

“It was during kickoff on the first play. I just got hit up in my knee,” Lopez said.

The injury forced him out for the remainder of the game. Swelling in the knee continued into the following week, keeping Lopez on the sideline for Mariner’s Week 4 matchup against Fort Myers.

Lopez said he spent the time stretching, working on the knee and waiting for the swelling to go down rather than rushing back onto the field.

Even while unable to play, Mariner head coach Doug Faasse said Lopez continued doing whatever the team needed from him.

“Oh, he's a great kid, great kid in the classroom. Does anything we ask him to do,” Faasse said. “If we need him to run scout team, he'll do that. If we need him to get the water, he'll do that. He's definitely the type of kid you want to have on your team and he's fun to coach and a lot of fun to be around.”

For Lopez, watching from the sideline has been difficult, but he said supporting his teammates helped him through it.

“Of course, it's a bummer, but I'm just happy to be here, happy to see my family eat,” Lopez said. “I'm just happy to see everyone get a chance to play.”

Now, Lopez is preparing to trade the sideline for the field again.

Mariner travels to Island Coast for its Week 5 matchup Friday, and Lopez expects to be back in the lineup.

“It's exciting. I get to play,” Lopez said. “I get to finally go on the field again, and I finally get to show what I'm worth.”