By ROD HARRINGTON
El Dorado News-Times

Junction City head football coach David Carpenter is recovering at home this week after being rushed to the hospital on Monday.

Carpenter, 54, entering his 19th year at Junction City High School, experienced symptoms of a heart attack Monday following two practices involving the varsity and junior high teams. After going home to eat, Carpenter called his wife, Teri, at her workplace around 3 p.m. and said he needed to go to the hospital.

Teri said on Thursday that her husband spent Monday night in the Intensive Care Unit at Medical Center of South Arkansas in El Dorado. Initial tests indicated that the coach's heart valve got dehydrated, which caused the heart to work harder than normal. Teri Carpenter said having the heart work “overtime” led to symptoms similar to a heart attack, such as chest pains and fatigue.

Besides working with the football team in 100-degree temperatures this week, Carpenter also typically spends numerous hours at the field house, mowing the playing and practice fields, and repairing sprinkler systems and other problems.

Carpenter was ordered to stay home this week, take medicines and go on a diet. He is scheduled to see the cardiologist again on Aug. 31, Teri said. “When he'll be back has not been determined,” she added. “His body won't let him go back right now.”

Carpenter is head football, track and weightlifting coach at JCHS, as well as athletic director.

Assistant coaches Brad Smith, Mike Barrett and Kendall Hutcheson continue to work with the Dragons, who have won back-to-back Class 2A state football titles. They are scheduled to have the annual Purple & Gold Game on Tuesday,  and scrimmage at Harmony Grove on Monday, Aug. 23. Junction will open the 2010 season at Rison on Thursday, Sept. 2.