The transition from the summer to fall seasons is a beautiful one. As the weather changes, it signifies what is to come, football season. The Revere Minutemen developed their skills during the months of June and July, waiting for the official start in August. Teammates and coaches spent the preparation time drawing up plays and building chemistry so the team would be ready to roll come week one.

Of these players, Sam Eberhardt, patiently waited for the start of the season. The senior wide receiver spent most of his football career playing at the junior varsity level until now. The coaching staff trusted Eberhardt as the number one option for the offense and had high hopes in his ability. The 6’2’’ deep-threat spent the entire summer lifting and training for his moment.

A few weeks before week one of the season, the Minutemen were set to scrimmage St. Vincent-St. Mary High School at home to tune in the offense before the first game. Revere’s offense looked very defined throughout the scrimmage, including Eberhardt. He had himself quite a few catches for touchdowns, somewhat cementing himself as the number one option for the Minutemen.

Then, tragedy struck. Eberhardt ran a deep-route for the end zone, and he was clear for the touchdown. While he went up to catch the ball, an opposing defender clashed into Eberhardt’s knee. He fell to the ground and felt instant pain. Trainers, coaches and teammates ran out to check on him. With the help of a few players, Eberhardt limped off the field to the sideline. Interestingly enough, Eberhardt came off with the biggest smile on his face, noting that pain makes him laugh.

After the conclusion of the scrimmage, Eberhardt rushed to the local emergency room so doctors could do a check-up. He left with high hopes since the medical professionals determined that nothing was broken or torn. Eberhardt was taken home and came back to the team the very next day to help out with the youth camp.

Eberhardt spent his time at the youth camp coaching up the middle school team for their upcoming season. The kids credited Eberhardt with having a high football intelect. As the camp concluded, Eberhardt drove home with the care of a teammate, since he was not fit to drive. On the way home, he received a call from his mother, informing him that he had torn through his ACL. The injury would take Eberhardt out for the entire season.

Months prior, Eberhardt was locked in as the number one wide receiver option for the Revere Minutemen. Unfortunately, turns of events destroyed his potential for a strong season his senior year. The initial recovery time was to be twelve months, however Eberhardt made impressive strides and will be cleared for his baseball season. Eberhardt spoke about how the injury impacted his everyday life.

“Mentally, it was very stressful. So many things began to build up in my mind, like how I would recuperate [after the injury]. I just did not know where to go at that point,” Eberhardt said.

Eberhardt has been a part of Revere athletics his entire life. From birth, he was a diehard baseball fan. The game taught him numerous life lessons and helped him make plenty of friends along the way. Eberhardt never picked up a football until eighth grade, when he was only a waterboy for the team. After discussing it with his family, he decided to commit to playing as a freshman. Over his entire high school career, Eberhardt has been a two-sport athlete, and he never sustained any type of injury. Eberhardt talked about how the road to recovery was a new experience for himself.

“I have never had an injury to this degree, so it was a new journey for myself. It took some time to figure out how to operate, but I got a lot of advice and help from people who had been in my position. They told me how they got through it, and it all helped out in the end,” Eberhardt said.

Although the injury kept Eberhardt from physically playing, it did not hold him back from working with the team. He understood that he could not contribute on the field, so he spent his time working with the younger players, helping them out any way he could. Eberhardt explained his role with the team post-injury.

“I knew from the very beginning [that] I could not play this season, however I still wanted to be there for my teammates. I have spent so much time with those guys, and I could not just abandon them. I would work with the trainers and help out at practice as much as I can. Just being there for the young guys, like helping them with football and life really meant a lot to me,” Eberhardt said.

When Eberhardt stated that he wanted to be there for the younger athletes, he had a very special kid in mind. Ben Eberhardt, younger brother of Sam, entered his freshman year with the hopes of playing with his older brother. Sam wanted to introduce Ben to the high school atmosphere, but with the injury, he was very limited to what he could do. Ben Eberhardt expressed how difficult the injury was on the entire family.

“It was very rough. I was looking forward to having my brother be with me during my sporting seasons. Obviously, I am a freshman and I do not know the ropes of being a high school student, so it puts a rift into this year. It was tough not having someone like Sam to show me the way,” Eberhardt said.

As if his injury did not impact enough, Eberhardt’s tear shook his relationship with his long-time friend, Elise Jakab. Jakab is a senior soccer player for the Lady Minutemen, and, just so happened, she tore her ACL months before Eberhardt. Jakab shared how her experience helped Eberhardt’s situation.

“It has been nice since both of us are near the light at the end of the tunnel [with our recovery]. We both know the struggles and how painful it can be at times. Since he tore his a few months after I tore mine, I was able to help him and give him guidance,” Jakab said.

Eberhardt spent the entire fall and winter seasons rehabbing his injury. Doctors claimed that he made incredible progress during that period of time and that he should be cleared for baseball. Eberhardt exclaimed that he is currently counting down the days until he could compete again.

“Mid March is the time I [should be cleared] to be back. Baseball is going to be a lot of fun this year. It will be awesome to be back and healthy. Look out Suburban League, here we come,” Eberhardt said.