Every athlete that takes the field understands that injuries are a part of the game, in fact making it through a career with having something happen is pretty rare. So getting hurt once is a normality, twice, a bit of bad luck, but three times, that might just be a sign to shut things down and try something else. However, for senior West Port offensive lineman Garrett Wilson, he used that third injury as motivation and a chance to finish off his high school career in style.
"It was tough not being out there on the field with my teammates and each time something happened I worked really hard on the rehab. I wanted to get stronger to reduce more risk going into this year, lots of bike riding, etc.. I just feel like I haven’t played in so long and I really missed it, getting that opportunity to be out there and helping my team win has been amazing," said Wilson.
It was an amazing win last week for Wilson and his West Port teammates as they got their first victory of the year, a 45-6 win over Citrus. He even felt healthy enough to play on the other side of the ball, recording a tackle for loss and a QB hurry from the defensive end position.
"That’s Garrett, a guy that that just wants to help the team anyway he can. He makes our team stronger and it has been awesome to see him stick with it and play wherever we need him. Garrett’s the guy who always does what’s best for the team and it has been great to see him overcome all the things he has to be out on the field," said West Port coach Greg Harper.
Wilson's injury history began as a freshman when he was named a starter, but missed time after he underwent a meniscus repair. As a sophomore, he tore his UCL while lifting and trying to get stronger forcing him to miss half the season. He then tore his contralateral ACL the first game of his junior year, subsequently missing the entirety of his junior football, basketball, and spring football seasonLots of people would have given up at this point, thinking sports may not be the best option for them, but Wilson never stopped working and his hard work has made him the UF Health Athlete of the Week. Wilson also holds a job and is saving as much as he can to be able to pay his way through trade school. He plans on applying for a lineman apprenticeship program after graduation, but for now he’s just doing what he can to help his team compete between the white lines.