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St. V-M graduate injures leg but keeps involved
By George M. Thomas Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Friday, Sep 28, 2007
After recording Ohio State's first sack of the season against Youngstown State, defensive end Lawrence Wilson became one of the first to go down with a major injury.
Wilson, a graduate of St. Vincent-St. Mary High, broke a leg, but he didn't allow that to break his spirit. After realizing that he would miss a lot of action, his thoughts immediately turned to his teammates.
''That's my No. 1 priority. Helping Rob (Rose) and Cam (Heyward),'' he said. ''Helping our defensive line be ready and helping it be the best defensive line in the country.''
That's not to say that he didn't consider himself after he went down in that first game. How could he not? Many on the Ohio State coaching staff expected Wilson, a junior, to have a breakout year at the defensive end position. He was expecting that of himself.
''You get upset at first,'' Wilson said. ''Then you recognize that it's football. It happens. Now I just want to help the guys and the defense.''
In the meantime, he's doing that and helping himself. The injury, which is near his ankle, required that a rod be inserted surgically. He spent a couple of weeks on crutches but now walks around without them. He spends about 90 minutes a day in rehabilitation, which includes work on an underwater treadmill.
He said that, so far, the toughest aspect is sitting out and not being able to practice with his teammates. Soon, however, he'll have to come to a decision about his future whether to sit out the rest of the season and redshirt or come back near season's end and use up a season of eligibility on just a few games. When he can return is still being discussed.
''What (doctors) told us (Tuesday) morning was that realistically, if we were able to earn a bowl opportunity, that that would be probably the realistic situation,'' coach Jim Tressel said. ''Not that it couldn't happen prior to that.''
Wilson said the thought really hadn't crossed his mind until asked about it.
''We haven't talked about it yet because it's still early,'' he said. ''We're just going to play it by ear and see what the doctors say.''
Ultimately when he comes back would be up to him, Tressel said.
''The player has every impact on that. Many times, when a guy is banged up, he'll be the first to say, 'Hey, I'd rather not spend a year with this fracture,''' Tressel said. ''So we understand that fully, even if maybe we could have him back for two or three games.''
Would it be worth it to come back with just a couple of games left in the season? ''It's worth coming back to play with my teammates,'' Wilson said.
It's understandable that Wilson would want to be part of that, given that he is one of its vocal leaders, something teammates had to make up for on the field. ''The first couple of days, they were like, 'It's different without you being out there,''' he said. ''I think everybody is just stepping up in their own way to lead the defensive line.''
Apparently it has worked, because the OSU defense ranks second in the country in total defense and first in the Big Ten.
''I'm not amazed at all. I knew we were going to be good. I knew we had a bunch of passionate guys on defense,'' Wilson said. ''And I knew it was just a matter of time before we started clicking.''
George M. Thomas can be reached at gmthomas@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/sportsblitz/.
After recording Ohio State's first sack of the season against Youngstown State, defensive end Lawrence Wilson became one of the first to go down with a major injury.
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