Larry Cooper is sore. Really sore.

If he moves the wrong way, he feels shooting pain from his neck down his entire back.

But that sensation is sweet compared to the emptiness of Saturday night, when the 24-year-old defensive lineman from New Bern, N.C., fell limp to the turf with 7:58 left in Ventura College's 38-16 win over Los Angeles Pierce at Larrabee Stadium.

Cooper was out cold for 15 seconds after Pierce running back Ed Gomez was stopped by the Ventura defense for no gain. When he regained consciousness, Cooper tried to stand up and join his teammates in the defensive huddle, but couldn't move a muscle.

"I was very nervous, man," said Cooper. "I started crying when I was on the ground. I couldn't feel anything.

" Man,' I said to myself, Please don't tell me I'm paralyzed.' "

A North Carolina State recruit, Cooper's football career became secondary when he fathered a baby girl, Adrianna, in high school. Five years later, like so many out-of-state community college athletes, he had come to California for a second chance at an education and an athlete career.

"I'm starting over," said Cooper. "This is my second chance. That's why I came."

But three games into his freshman season, there he was, thousands of miles from home and family, lying motionless between the two huddles. The horrifying sight reminded the thousands of onlookers — and even Cooper himself — of Kevin Everett, the Buffalo Bills tight end who suffered a spinal-cord injury Sept. 9 against Denver.

"That's a coach's nightmare," said Ventura coach Jon Mack after the game.

Ventura trainer Mark Cheney was the first to explain the situation to Cooper. He doesn't remember the collision that caused his injury, but teammates have told him that he was pulled down by the Pierce center and was kneed in the back of the head by a Pierce guard.

He does, however, remember the feeling of his extremities coming back under his power. He was able to move his fingers and toes before paramedics arrived to bring him to Community Memorial Hospital.

"Thank the Lord for me," said Cooper.

A CAT scan revealed no breaks in Cooper's spine. He was diagnosed with a neck sprain and was able to walk out of the hospital around midnight, about 2 hours after his injury.

"That was a great feeling, knowing that I was able to walk," said Cooper. "That's all I can say about that one."

Within minutes, he was seen eating burgers at In-N-Out with a brace around his neck.

"That was a very good decision," said Cooper. "I was hungry. We hadn't eaten since (noon)."

He spent Sunday kicking back, relaxing and "watching my favorite team, the Patriots, beat up on the Chargers" and will spent the week on the sidelines, watching his VC teammates prepare for the 40th Citrus Cup game against cross-county rival Moorpark.

"I'm the one out there with the neck brace," said Cooper. "You can't miss me."

Cooper will undergo an MRI today to detail the extent of the damage. He said his doctors worry that the initial numbness might mean he's suffered some nerve damage.

But the incident hasn't soured Cooper on the game he loves. If cleared by an orthopedist, he says he'll strap his helmet back on and run right back onto the field.

"I'm looking forward to getting right back out there," said Cooper, "like it never happened."