Injured Cherokee teen transferred to spinal unit

A Cherokee High School senior injured in a swimming pool accident has been transferred to a facility specializing in spinal injuries.

Matt Blaylock was moved from Grady Memorial Hospital to the Shepherd Center’s spinal cord injury unit on Thursday, said Larry Bowie, spokesman for the Shepherd Center.

Blaylock, 18, was airlifted to Grady on May 29 after he hurt himself diving into the shallow end of a swimming pool in the BridgeMill subdivision in Canton, authorities said.

An all-county linebacker who had earned a scholarship to Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn., Blaylock was recognized the following day at Cherokee High’s graduation ceremony.