Getting the soccer season off on the right foot likely meant more to Jared Fuller than anyone else in early March. Because not too long ago Fuller, a center-mid for the Kentwood High soccer team, wasn’t even sure he’d be suiting up at all.
“I thought I was finished,” explained Fuller, a senior.
In a split second, the notion that his days of playing soccer might be over hit Fuller like a ton of bricks in Kentwood’s final game of the season last spring. With the ball in toe and looking to gain breathing room to deliver one of his trademark long shot attempts, Fuller was driven into the ground.
He wouldn’t get up.
“I was shooting the ball when two guys from Kent-Meridian came down on my right leg, breaking my tibia and fibula,” Fuller said. “At that point, I was like, ‘Oh, wow, I am not going to be able to play soccer anymore.’ Soccer is something I’ve done mostly all my life.
“I was devastated.”
For a kid who makes a living on the soccer field playing physically, Fuller is not about to claim the incident was a dirty play. It was simply a physical play that didn’t go as planned, he said.
The Conquerors managed to secure a 3-2 victory, but Fuller was done and his soccer future remained in doubt.
“Entering this season, I wasn’t sure if we’d even get him out there,” said Kentwood coach Aaron Radford.
And while Radford wasn’t certain Fuller would return, the Kentwood senior had no intentions of being anywhere else this spring. Fuller spent the first month after the injury in a wheel chair followed by two months on crutches. By late fall, he was back on the field, playing with his select team, the Eastside FC.
Fuller’s comeback reached its pinnacle in Kentwood’s 2-1 season-opening win over South Puget Sound League North Division favorite Jefferson. Trailing 1-0 early, Fuller connected on a lofting 30-foot goal in the 55th minute to secure Kentwood’s first goal of the season.
“That was really cool. It wasn’t quite a Jared Fuller type of shot,” Radford explained. “When he gets a hold of them, he puts a lot of power behind them. This one floated from about 30 to 35 yards out. It was very, very pleasing.”
Not quite, however, as pleasing as seeing Fuller back on the field this spring. Because on a team loaded with talent and expected to challenge for a league title, Fuller, a first-team All-League selection last season, will be critical to Kentwood’s success.
“He’s been sort of an anchor in the center of our midfield for a couple years now,” Radford said. “He’s literally a strong, physical presence in the middle of the field. He will challenge anybody. He’s never been one to shy away from tackling the ball or going after a challenge.”
That determination is something Fuller illustrated on the football field, where he was a standout running back for the Conquerors his junior season. A 5-foot-10, 170-pound running back, Fuller was one of Kentwood’s key offensive players in 2009, when he led all Conk running backs with 604 yards rushing and eight touchdowns on 113 carries. Tabbed as one of Kentwood’s key returners after the 2009 season, Fuller was expected to carry that momentum into the following fall.
That is, of course, until the injury.
With a metal rod and four screws placed in his leg – two near his ankle and two more near his knee – running the football simply wasn’t an option.
“It was tough. This year was supposed to be my best year and it didn’t happen because of the broken leg,” Fuller lamented. “But I didn’t want to not play at all. I was looking for a way to help out my team any way possible.”
Not the type to give in, Fuller found a home on the special teams unit by putting his soccer skills to use and becoming a part-time punter. Now that spring has arrived and he’s as healthy as he’s going to be, Fuller wants to end his prep career on a high note. Not necessarily for himself, but instead for his team.
“We want to win league and go to the playoffs,” said Fuller, pointing out that the Conquerors finished just a few points shy of a playoff berth last spring. “I believe we can do it.”
By already getting off on the right foot, Fuller and the Conquerors have taken the first few steps.
Steps the Jared Fuller wasn’t certain would be possible just a few months ago.
CONKS: AT A GLANCE
• COACH: Aaron Radford, sixth year.
• LAST YEAR: 7-5-4, fifth place in SPSL North.
• TOP RETURNERS: Jared Fuller, sr., midfielder; Stefan Bangsund, jr., midfielder; Cody Crook, so., defender; Sergio Mejia, jr., defender; Keaton Gray, jr., forward.
• TOP NEWCOMERS: Tyler Hutto, jr., forward.
• OUTLOOK: After narrowly missing the postseason a year ago, Kentwood has the depth and talent to finish among the top three this spring. If Kentwood is going to find its way, however, it will turn to new goalkeeper Chris Kubeja, who will need to pick up where standout Rodney Greiling left off.
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