Flash! On come the lights. The field crew puts out all the yard markers and pylons. Montgomery’s buses arrive and they find their way to the locker room. I am getting my ankles taped. I go to walk throughs in the gym and when that is done I swiftly get back to the locker room and get my game pants on. At the same time, Thomas comes over and writes FULL SPEED on my hands (a ritual I do every game). Then we go back into the gym where I put on my IPod and listen to my music while I stretch. Cronin walks around and shakes all of our hands and gives us words of encouragement. Then the all the special team players get their shoulder pads and helmets on for warm ups. We meet outside the locker room, Alderson then leads us onto the field where we go to our positions which in my case is to punt the ball before the rest of the team gets out there. When I see the rest of the team coming out I jog to the sidelines to start warming up to play quarterback. Now we’re done warming up and the Captains are at mid field waiting for the coin toss, we win the toss and elect to kick.
When we go on the field, it does not start well. A tackle for a loss and 2 sacks before we have to punt the ball away. Then our defense stops Monty and they punt. Alex Roberts takes the punt back for a touchdown. After another stop from our defense, we get the ball back and are driving down the field. We get into the red zone which is when you reach the 20 yard line or closer to the end zone. We call play 52 which is a pass play I call the side and in doing that I see that D.J. is going to be wide open so everyone gets set and I snap the ball and I take my drop back. As I see D.J. coming open I feel pressure from my backside so I step up and feel someone grab my jersey, I take off running with this guy holding onto the back of my jersey, he then holds himself up by my jersey and then lets go. My leg gets caught under him and I feel it snap. I instantly start to scream because of the pain. Cronin walks out onto the field and says, “we don’t need a big drama scene if it’s broke its broke so toughen up.” Right then I grab the grass trying my very hardest not to scream. Doctor Tomasin comes out onto the field and pulls my ankle back straight because it was backwards. Courtland and Scooby then run onto the field and carry me off.
There I am with everything I worked for taken away in a moment in time sitting on the sideline bawling because I can’t do the one thing I love over anything else. At this point I still don’t know if my leg is broken or not, but then Doctor Tomasin calls for the water jug and pulls out his cast stuff. As he is doing this Doctor Grund is cutting my cleats off of my foot so that they don’t mess up my leg. Then they start casting my leg, that’s when the tears really start running because it’s when I realize my hope of playing for a State Championship was gone and I will never get another shot at it. They are done casting me and bring the golf cart around to bring me to my car. Mary Cooper takes me around the track behind the Montgomery team where some of my friends came up to me and shook my hand telling me it was going to be ok and then in front of the Montgomery fans where I got a standing ovation. I get to my car and I see my girlfriend running toward the car. We take off for Healdsburg hospital where I would spend the night and get surgery the next day which was only day one of a 9 week journey to recovery.
In looking back at this experience I have grown as a person and an athlete.
When you have an injury like this, it makes you prioritize your life Before, I would throw my body around and not even care but now I watch what I do and I am more cautious. This also was a good life lesson because it taught me that something you work so hard for can be taken for you in a split second. I learned that you shouldn’t take anything for granted and to cherish everything you have.