High School Football more than just a game!

Tagged under: District 3, News

Greg Ricupero | October 22, 2022

Many kids have a passion for high school sports. Now imagine a 15 year old boy with this passion. All he wants to do is play high school football with his classmates and friends. He’s a good athlete at a big school. He’s starting his high school football career when a pandemic hits the world. His mom one of the greatest people you will ever meet has a rare bone disease. He elects not to play football his sophomore year to protect his mother. But he works out and is in the weight room getting ready for his chance. His junior year arrives and he is playing linebacker in the opening game against Mechanicsburg. In the second quarter of his first game he goes to make a tackle and his cleat gets stuck in the turf. It is originally called a sprain and I have plans to cover a game three weeks later. Days before the game a MRI shows he has a torn ACL and meniscus in his left knee. The season is over. The young man has to decide what to do. He starts rehab with one goal to play his senior year. It’s a long painful trail, but he is determined. He works his ass off for ten months. His senior year is here and the knee is healed. He’s bigger and stronger and ready to go. I put three of his games on my schedule. I cover high school football games for  Pennsylvania Football News. I get to see him for the first time week three in York. He’s the starting linebacker and on most of the special teams. He has a great game. He is mentioned by the radio announcer almost every play. He’s flying around the field beating blocks and making tackles. After the game instead of being happy, he is upset even though he played a great game as his team loss for the first time when he was in uniform. I tell him I will see him in three weeks. The following Friday I text my sister-in-law to see how he’s doing against a very good Harrisburg team. The are down 30-0 and he has hurt his other knee. The waiting and praying starts. He shot the gap and had his leg caught by a falling lineman. The news is bad. He has torn his ACL in his right knee. He wouldn’t be playing high school football anymore with his classmates and friends. He can go home and just be done with it all. I go back for the week six game which is on a Thursday and who is on the sideline coaching and cheering his teammates. You guess it. Life isn’t fair, but you decide how you let it effect your life. We could learn a lot from this young man.

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