Senior year is always filled with what could be “last” opportunities or times to get the chance to do something again for the rest of their life. For those people who look forward to this special year, they spend a very long time working hard and constantly beating on their craft.

Many of these situations often apply in sports, arts and entertainment, ACT, working towards getting into a college, etc. Although life’s not perfect, and it even throws a curveball at times, it’s always important to keep moving forward no matter what and handle every situation that might come along the towards one’s goal the best a person possibly can.

This year, three senior football players (including myself) had their season unfortunately come to an end with season ending injuries. Connor Johnson and I both suffered torn ACL’s during camp at the beginning of the season, while Jeff Tuttle suffered an injury to his finger with a torn tendon that required surgery.

I was already dealing with minor issues with my kneecap all summer which was nothing too serious, I was still able to perform in normal activities. During camp, I was turning my body in the middle of a play then my knee extended outward and I went down to the ground from there. A couple days later, I saw Dr. Busam and got an MRI and I was told I had a torn ACL which needed surgery.

For Connor Johnson, his injury happened during a 7 on 7 against Springboro and he went up in the end zone to defend a pass on defense and came down and landed on his leg awkwardly. Like myself, he went to Busam and got an MRI and then was told he has a torn ACL and needed surgery.

Lastly, Jeff Tuttle was in practice during two-a-days in the middle of a ‘jamming drill’ and he grabbed a player’s jersey. After they were finished, he was not able to move his finger then after practice he was told by the training staff he had a torn tendon and needed surgery as well.

After having surgery and going through the whole process being on medication, resting, etc. we’ve all been on the sidelines since then. It’s frustrating to have to miss out on something we spent months preparing for and working hard and then have it taken away senior year.

“Having to watch everybody do something you cannot do really sucks,” Tuttle said.

Since then, all three of us have worked toward recovery each day through therapy and listening to medical professionals. Connor and I have been out of our brace for a couple weeks now and we’ve both been able to work out in the weight room while continuing to work toward running at full strength through therapy sessions and taking care of ourselves on our own. Jeff Tuttle is out of his cast now and is continuing to do therapy so he will be able to perform normal activity and work out as well.

Connor Johnson said, “Right after surgery I wasn’t able to lift my leg or bend it at all for about two weeks, and then when I started therapy it was all just stretching which got boring for a while. But now I’m able to do actual workouts and sweating as well so it’s amazing to see how far I come.”

With all of us being sidelined and not being able to play this year, the one thing we all hope to get out of this season personally is just enjoying the experience. We’re thankful for the opportunity to be there for our team throughout all of the good and bad moments. Looking back later on in life, it’ll mean something to able to look back on all the times as a part of Elder Football.

Tuttle says that he looks forward to working out again and getting back into the weight room once he’s fully recovered. Connor really looks forward to getting back into running and being able to play softball in the spring at Rumpke Park. As for me, I’m not exactly sure what I want to do moving forward yet besides working out, running, and being in the weight room on a regular basis. I’ve had thoughts about playing college football especially at Mount St. Joseph. I recently took a visit there and went to camp as well. However, I’m not sure if I want to play yet and I’m still looking at other schools to focus on my career as well. For now and for all of us as well, we hope to enjoy the rest of our senior year and get the most out of it even though football was not part of the equation.

While it’s hard to miss out playing football senior year, being able to fight through adversity and recover is one of the toughest battles anyone can face in life. Not everything in life lasts forever, but spending time with the people we care about is all we can ask for. It’s great experience to learn to cherish every moment and make the most of every obstacle and opportunity equally.