Ralston Senior Overcomes Injury in Pursuit of Championship

It's a high school football player's nightmare: a serious injury in their junior year. It usually hampers one's chances of obtaining scholarship offers as schools start stargazing for the upcoming recruiting class.

Ralston Valley fullback/defensive lineman Nick Grenfell knows how lucky he is after breaking his left leg this past October.

"Even after the injury I've been getting some level of recruiting attention, and might even get more with new schools contacting me if I play well this year," Grenfell said in an interview with CFI. "It definitely has helped me through the rehab."

 
Grenfell broke his leg in a regular season game against Thunder Ridge and was in a cast for six weeks. He tried to return but consequently missed the playoffs. 

"I did get to suit up for the playoff game against Monarch but we lost so my season ended without seeing the field again." Grenfell said with disappointment.

He stated that he has been cleared for the beginning of fall camp, and claimed that the healing process hasn't been excruciatingly hard.

"I just always tell myself to keep it up and keep going when I rehab," he said. "Sometimes it's just such a slow process and there's noting you can do to speed it up.”

Grenfell has indeed rehabed his leg. After squatting 450 pounds this summer, to go along with his 275-pound bench press, it’s safe to say he’s on the right track.

Grenfell, who is a bruising fullback and gained 321 yards in his junior year, will also play D-line for the Mustangs. It’s the same position he was playing when he broke his leg but that isn’t a concern at all. He hopes to help the Mustangs get back to the playoffs.

After winning their first 11 games last year, and going into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, the Mustangs felt a bit unfulfilled without a championship. They have advanced to the state playoffs every year since the school opened in 2000 so it’s something that will be in the back of their minds until it happens. This year they’ll try to follow what the school’s baseball team accomplished last spring, and that is win the elusive state title for the schools first football championship

"We have a very good QB in senior Liam Felton, and an all-state lineman Joe Purfield returning. Other than that, we will be pretty new but we have some really good size." Grenfell said. "We should be able to run the ball but our QB can throw good if we need that option."

The way the Mustangs run the ball, this senior, who sports a nice Mohawk, will likely get a shot at a college offer and a championship in the same year.