Playing a varsity sport in highschool is a dream for some students. For sophomore Jackson Houk, this is a reality. After being pulled up to boys varsity soccer freshman year, he has devoted his time and commitment to the team by playing club soccer and practicing in his spare time. 

But during the 2019 fall season, he was injured during the Black and Gold day scrimmage. Houk was running to save a ball from going out of bounds when he slid into his team’s bench.

“I missed two games and multiple practices because of it,” Houk said. ” I’m not too worried about the games though because they were out of conference, but it’s still frustrating. “ This isn’t the first time I’ve been hurt during high school season. I was out for almost half of my freshman season on a whole different injury.”

Sitting on the bench, watching his team play without him is a struggle. “I hate the fact that there’s nothing I can do when I’m out, ” Houk said.

Houk’s teammate and close friend sophomore Cannon Murray expresses the struggle of playing in a game when the entire team is not fully healthy.

“When someone is hurt or sick, we usually just throw someone else into their position, even if that’s not where they play,” Murray said. ” We also have less subs, so if you’re tired, you just have to keep pushing through.”

“All I want to do is get back in the game and help my teammates out,” Houk said. “So far it’s been a rough season, but with enough work we have a good chance at winning.”

When asked if the fear of getting hurt again would stop him from playing, Houk gave his reason to keep playing. “No, When I’m playing the adrenaline kicks in and all I care about is winning the game,” Houk said. Every game is important so you can’t let the fear of possibility hold you back from your full potential.”