The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
It doesn’t look good for Avon’s Perusek
Avon RB injured knee in Week 6 on ‘simple running play’
I stopped by Avon’s football practice Oct. 8, and couldn’t help but notice that Nick Perusek, arguably the team’s best player, was on crutches. His right leg wrapped from mid-shin to mid-thigh.
Turns out that the senior injured his knee in the first series of last week’s 62-0 rout over Westlake. He had an MRI on Oct. 8 and was expecting the results as early as Oct. 9.
It doesn’t look good. “Everyone I’ve talked to thinks I’ve torn my ACL,” he said. “It’s kind of rough. I would be done for the season.”
According to Perusek, it was just a simple running play that led to the injury. “I was getting wrapped up on my right knee,” he said. “As I was going down somebody came in and hit me from above and all his weight went down on my right knee.”
There are so many reactions that come up in such situations. For some it’s, “How will this affect the team and the goal of getting to the state semis for a third consecutive year?” For others it’s, “This is so unfair. How could this happen to Nick?”
“It’s tough. It’s really frustrating. I thought this year was the year to stay healthy the whole season. But we’ll see. It’s not for sure that I’m out the whole season.” — Avon RB Nick Perusek
For Coach Mike Elder, it’s simple — concern for the player and his well-being.
“The day we found out he was injured and that it was pretty serious, and he could be out for the rest of the year, your immediate attention goes more toward the kid himself,” Elder said.
“To play football in Avon, to start for us, you invest a great deal into it. I think the hardest thing as a coach is watching a player suffer a season-ending injury because they have so much invested into it.”
Unfortunately, Perusek has experience in dealing with injuries.
His sophomore year, he fractured his hip, and last year he suffered a high ankle sprain. He said he missed about five games each of those two years and could miss more than that this year, depending on how far the Eagles advance.
“It’s tough,” he said. “It’s really frustrating. I thought this year was the year to stay healthy the whole season. But we’ll see. It’s not for sure that I’m out the whole season.”
Perusek leads the Eagles in rushing with 517 yards and nine touchdowns on 69 carries, an average of 7.5 yards per carry. He also has caught 13 passes for 187 yards (14.4 ypc) and four touchdowns. Those stats were compiled while barely seeing the field during the second half of many games, which is why Elder thinks so highly of his abilities.
“He was arguably one of the best running backs to ever play here when he was healthy,” Elder said.
Regardless of whether his Avon career is over or if he can return to the field, Perusek will have a role on the team.
“Nick’s role obviously will be to be around here,” Elder said. “If his spirits are up, his teammates’ spirits are up. If he’s down, they’ll be down. Our team is going to wrap ourselves around him. As an athlete, the next step for him will be to throw himself into his rehab so he can get back to being 100 percent as quickly as he can. But in the meantime, it’s important for us that he’s here, he’s on the sideline helping coach up our young guys. Our success this season and next season will have a lot to do with him.”
While Perusek suffered multiple injuries over his career, in a bizarre way his team benefited from it. With him on the sideline, others had the opportunity to get into games and gain valuable experience. One of the hallmarks of the Avon program is depth, and that certainly comes into play now.
“Our goals are never winning,” Elder said. “It’s a process and it’s getting better every single week. So, the truth is, our expectations will always be high. We plan to win every football game on our schedule, whoever has to step up and do that. We always have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C. We coach them all, because you never know who is going to have to be called upon.”
Elder said Perusek’s carries will be spread among four players, all of whom have experience carrying the ball — starting wide receiver Joey Lance, starting inside linebacker Devon Hunter, starting cornerback Michael Matlak, and backup running back Desmond Kelly.
“It’s not one person who can replace Nick, it’s multiple people,” Elder said. “Four people will replace him. They’re very capable kids, but one person doesn’t replace Nick. We’ll do it by committee.”
In the meantime, Perusek can only wait for his results and hope for the best.
“I think best-case scenario is that I just sprained something, and I would still be out a couple of weeks, but I would be able to come back,” he said.
Everyone knows the odds are against that, but it doesn’t keep his coaches and teammates — his Avon football family — from supporting Perusek any way they can.
“It hurts,” said senior quarterback Danny Zeh. “It sucks. That guy puts in the most work I’ve ever seen out of anyone. He’s just had a few unlucky breaks. We’re praying for the best right now.”