Calvary Day's Jalen Hicks' comeback from injury earned special honor

Calvary Day's Jalen Hicks had shown flashes of his potential on the football field as a freshman on the Cavalier varsity ― and the standout receiver entered his sophomore campaign with high expectations. But in just his second game, his hopes of a breakthrough season came to an abrupt halt. The Cavaliers were on the road in Mt.

Pleasant, South Carolina to face perennial power Oceanside Collegiate.. "I ran a slant route and he threw me the ball. I went to reach for it and the defender came in and dove and he hit my knee.

At first when I felt the hit, I was in a lot of pain," said Hicks, now a 17-year-old rising senior. "At first I thought it was just like regular and I could take two plays off and come back, but I just couldn't put any kind of pressure on it and it was hard to walk. " Hicks was out for the game, but thought he could shake it off and came back to practice the next week.

He caught a pass during the workout and came down wrong, aggravating his injury. A visit to the doctor revealed he had torn the MCL, ACL and meniscus in his left knee, a serious injury which takes up to 12 months to return. He had major surgery in October of 2024 and his long road to recovery began.