By Arabella Saunders, Features Editor

As the varsity athlete shifts in his seat and waits for his name to be called, his mind drifts to soccer. The hours of conditioning and drills, the oddly satisfying sting of sore muscles, the jokes and jabs shared on long bus rides to away games, the smell of fresh grass mingled with the lingering stench of sweat that never seems to leave his jersey, the flood of joy he feels after scoring a goal and the embrace of teammates accompanied by the roar of the crowd.

“Vega Sproul!” calls a seemingly forced sing-songy voice.

He glances up and is launched back into reality as he sees the nurse standing in the open doorway, feels his father grip the handles of his wheelchair and avoids the sympathetic eyes of other patients in the lobby. As quickly as they came, his pleasant memories are clouded by feelings of uncertainty and frustration.

Sproul first noticed a pain in his left knee after going for a run in May of 2015.

“I woke up in the middle of the night and my knee was the size of a balloon,” the junior said. “I went to the doctor the next day and they sent me to CHKD (Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters) to get an MRI and that’s when they told me I had osteochondritis dissecans.”

Osteochondritis dissecans, or OCD, is a condition characterized by a lack of blood flow to the joints, causing the bone to decompose and the joint and cartilage to break apart. In many cases such as Sproul’s, the fragmentation limits joint mobility and causes persistent pain that can only be treated through surgery.

“I got surgery two weeks later, after wearing a brace for two weeks,” Sproul said. “The day after surgery was when it really sunk in. It was a feeling of being alone, having no control over the situation and not knowing what lies ahead that really sent me over the edge.”

Come November – despite the hardships he faced during his recovery period – Sproul was back on the field and eager to tap back into his passion for soccer. However, after almost six months of diligent practicing, Sproul began to experience a similar pain in both of his ankles. Following another trip to CHKD, the varsity player was diagnosed with OCD for the second time. His surgery was scheduled for May 20, 2016.

“I was devastated,” Sproul said. “I went home and started breaking things. I just kept throwing inanimate objects around the house and I punted some soccer balls into the woods. It was just a way for me to release all this pressure that was building up inside of me.”

Over the course of the next four months, Sproul’s pent-up frustration was heightened by a number of physical obstacles. The inability to place weight on his ankles for a period of 12 weeks left him dependent on a wheelchair.

“All the soccer boys went to UNC for soccer camp and I couldn’t play or anything at the time,” Sproul said. “It sucked because I remembered going off as a freshman to play soccer at UNCW with the high school team. Just seeing all of them was really upsetting, all having a good time and stuff while I had to sit inside and use a wheelchair to get around.”

As a tenacious athlete, coping with the lack of control over his body served as a significant hurdle for Sproul.

“They told me a part of me wasn’t working and it was just disappointing,” Sproul said. “It just makes you feel bad about yourself. It’s so far out of your control, like there’s nothing you can do about it.”

A loss of control coupled with superfluous comparisons furthered Sprouls frustration. He recalls the discontent he felt while in public.

“It was frustrating when people thought they understood, but really they had no clue,” Sproul said. “Wherever I went, people would always try to compare it to other things like, ‘Oh yeah, I broke my wrist last month.’ It just made me feel worse.”

On days when Sproul’s frustration reached its peak, he questioned whether he would ever return to the sport.  

“On my worst days, I thought by the time I was done with rehab I wouldn’t even want to play soccer anymore,” Sproul said.  “I would just imagine all the things I could be doing instead of being trapped inside.”

Though there were times in which it seemed he would never play soccer again, on his good days, Sproul fastened a tight mental grip on his love of soccer and exhibited a positive attitude characterized by hope.

“Even though he was injured, he was probably one of the most positive people I’ve seen,” junior teammate Quinn Douglas said. “I never saw him sad. He always had a smile.”

Sproul’s passion for the sport was evident even as he observed games and practices from the sidelines.

“He was always hungry to come back,” senior captain Dylan Owens said. “All he could think about was coming back.”

Now, six months after his last surgery, Sproul’s unfaltering determination to play soccer again has left him standing tall as a starter and one of the top scorers for the unbeaten First Flight varsity soccer team.

“Vega’s ability to play at such a high level so quickly after his injuries is so impressive,” assistant coach Jay Hawes said. “I am completely blown away at how this young man handled these situations and how he came out on top. There is something very special about this young student-athlete, and I’m honored to be one of his coaches.”

Sproul hopes to showcase his quick recovery Saturday in Raleigh in the NCHSAA 2-A state championship game, when the Nighthawks battle Chase High School at 5 p.m. Not only has he been able to return to the sport with the same intensity he possessed prior to his injuries, his experiences have transformed his outlook on life.

“People should cherish their time of being a teenager and their time at high school,” Sproul said. “Just don’t take it for granted, because not everyone has it and you can lose it at anytime. Kind of like carpe diem – seize the day.”

Sproul is determined to seize his moment Saturday by transforming his dream into reality. Seeing the stadium lights glinting off the trophy. Feeling the tears of joy run down his face. Welcoming the eyes of the crowd on him and his teammates.

Junior Arabella Saunders can be reached at [email protected].