Ex-Marcos kicker partially paralyzed in crash
Krysten Muir, who earned her way onto Tempe Marcos de Niza’s varsity football team and became the first female to score a point in an AIA state championship game, suffered paralysis in her lower body after being involved in a car accident, her father confirmed.
Jeremy Muir, who was an assistant coach at Marcos de Niza when she played there, said Krysten was a passenger on the way home from Payson on Sunday morning when the car she was riding in lost control and flipped.
Jeremy said his daughter was wearing a seat belt. The driver crushed his hand and has had multiple surgeries, Jeremy said.
Krysten, a place kicker, who made 5 of 10 field goals and converted 98 of 112 extra points in 2015 and ‘16 for the Padres, has undergone two surgeries so far. A gofundme page has been started to help with the medical costs. And the hashtag #12MuirStrong has been put on social media.
“One piece of her vertebra exploded,” Jeremy said. “They fused five vertebra together with rods. They’ve got her back in a brace. She’s able to sit up at this point. There is some sensation in the right leg. Nothing in the left leg at this point. It’s still early and they’re hopeful. They don’t have a time frame when feeling will come back.”
Because COVID-19 protocols don’t allow visitors in hospitals, Jeremy said that he and his wife have been able to Face Time Kyrsten while she is in the hospital.
The 5-foot-9 Muir was homecoming queen her senior season, when she made 40 of 49 points after touchdowns and 2 of 5 field goals.
As a junior, when the Padres went 12-3 and lost to Scottsdale Saguaro in the 4A title game, she made 3 of 5 field-goal tries and 58 of 63 extra points. She made both of her extra-point tries against Saguaro in the state final, a 38-20 loss.
She made 11 of 12 extra-point tries in the playoffs.
After high school, Muir was working toward becoming a personal trainer.