It's one of our great American past times. But high school football is not all fun and games. Unfortunately players do get hurt.

Turns out the stage of the game may make a difference in whether injuries happen and how serious they are. A look at a sample of teams from across the country breaks it down. 16 percent of injuries happen early in the game. 54 percent take place around the middle. While 30 percent come at the end or in overtime. As for severity, injuries during kick off and punt or those that happen in the beginning and middle of the game turned out to be more severe.

Researchers can't say why the timing impacted the injury. But maybe this information could help coaches keep their players safe and healthy.