Bam.
Senior and defensive lineman Brock Rider smashed into one of his teammates during a tackling drill at summer football camp. He limped off the field, pain shooting from his leg near his knee cap.
“There's an offensive guy and there's a defensive guy,” Rider said. “I went and made a cut, and as I was making the tackle, my foot got caught in the ground. As I was turning my body, my knee bent in a way it obviously shouldn’t have.”
Both Rider and the coaches could tell it was a severe injury as he could barely walk off the field. They were correct. A couple days later Rider’s diagnosis of a torn meniscus confirmed that he was going to be out for at least the rest of the summer.
Despite his surgery on Aug. 26, he will still be sidelined until late in the football season. The coaches had to work with underclassmen to fill in for Rider, who was a keystone player.
Going into his third year as a varsity starter, Rider was looking forward to his senior season, until he injured his leg at summer football camp. Working with athletic trainer Dakota Orlando has helped Rider through his recovery process, as a resource for any assistance he needs throughout his rehab.
“I’m helping him make sure he's doing his rehab, or answering any of his medical questions that he has concerns about,” Dakota said. “If I don't know the answer, I reach out to his medical team that did the surgery, and they get the answer for us.”
Orlando and the coaches are doing their best to keep Rider excited and hopeful for his senior year on varsity football, despite having to spend the majority of the season on the bench. His teammates have also come together to support Rider through his recovery.
Senior and quarterback Jack Reeves has been by Rider’s side since freshman year football camp. Reeves was at the camp this past summer when Rider got injured, though he didn’t see it happen. Reeves, as well as their other teammates and coaches, have done their best to help lift Rider’s spirits since his injury.
“We were always checking on him, texting and making sure he was all right,” Reeves said. “We would have some team meals with him, and we would just try to make him feel as positive as possible.”
Rider came to school the Friday after his surgery in August, feeling confident about his recovery and return to the field later in the season.
The Commons filled up quickly after school as the varsity football players gathered for the start of practice. After everyone took their seat, Rider stood up and gave a heartfelt speech regarding his torn meniscus.
Rider's teammates were shouting and cheering for him when head football coach Mark Simoneau pulled a video up on the screen.
Silence spread among the players and coaches as a face appeared on the Commons’ screen: retired NFL hall-of-famer Ravens player Ray Lewis.
Simoneau pressed play on the video and Lewis began to speak about Rider and gave him advice on his football career.
“Brock Rider, keep being who you are, kid,” Lewis said in the video.
The video is available to watch on Rider’s football Instagram account @brockriderfootball.
“I watch it every day,” Rider says. “Ray Lewis has been my role model, I know about his own injuries and what he had to go through, and having surgery and all that. To hear his perspective and hear his advice on something that I'm going through, it's helped me tremendously.”
Rider is still in shock that his role model, favorite linebacker, the reason he wears the number 52 on his jersey and long-time idol made him a personalized video message.
Simoneau was also shocked that his players were able to get a Lewis cameo. Simoneau only knew about the video right before he showed the team and was grateful it lifted everyone’s spirits.
“It was a special moment for our program and for Brock, and it's just an example of how our team has come together,” Simoneau said. “Sometimes when you have something like that happen, whether it's injury or whatever, it forces your team to get closer.”
Simoneau is hoping for Rider to return to the playing field in their fifth or sixth game. Rider believes his recovery will take three to three and a half months.
Rider plans to play football in college and is continuing the scouting process throughout his injury. Though he wasn’t able to attend college camps over the summer, Rider continues to work harder every day to get better and stronger, faster.
“I've had to switch directions in my recruiting,” Rider said. “But I know it's still all gonna work out.”
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