SuburbanOneSports.com recognizes a male and female featured athlete each week. The awards, sponsored by Univest, are given to seniors of good character who are students in good standing that have made significant contributions to their teams. Selections are based on nominations received from coaches, athletic directors and administrators.
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Female Athlete (Week of Sept. 28, 2016)
Ragan Ebersole is blessed with talent, plenty of talent, but it’s the grit, determination and mental toughness that set the Plymouth Whitemarsh senior apart. A two-sport standout, Ebersole – who played in a baseball league with boys until she was 15 - excels at both softball and soccer. “She’s tough as nails,” PW soccer coach Ryan Zehren said of his senior captain. “It doesn’t matter who she’s going up against – she’s going into every tackle, every head ball, every 50-50 ball, and it’s going to be as hard as she can tackle, and she’s going to try to come out with the ball. The girls feed off the energy she brings. I never met a player that is willing to just sacrifice so much for those around her and try to do whatever it takes to win.”
Ebersole’s toughness might not be all that unusual. Until, that is, you hear her story. What began as a lingering headache shortly after she earned a spot on the varsity soccer team as a freshman escalated into something that was both life-threatening and life-changing. The morning after visiting the school nurse on the third day of school in excruciating pain, Ebersole woke up with her eye “the size of a baseball” and swollen shut. A trip to the emergency room at Bryn Mawr resulted in an ambulance trip to CHOP where she was diagnosed with Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis (CST), necessitating emergency surgery on her sinuses. “They put me on antibiotics and blood thinners because I actually had a blood clot in the vein that connects your heart to your brain,” Ebersole said. “That could have killed me in a matter of hours.”
After a week-and-a-half stay in the hospital, Ebersole was sent home, a stay that lasted only 10 days. “I remember I was laying on the couch, and I was texting with my left hand, and there was like a tremor in my hand and I couldn’t text,” she said. Her symptoms escalated. “My gait was unsteady, and I was throwing up everything I ate,” Ebersole said. “I had this headache – I couldn’t move.” A trip to the ER at CHOP resulted in emergency brain surgery for a massive abscess of the cerebellum. “I was on IV antibiotics, and when they were draining out of my head – instead of actually draining, it made a pocket and became infected,” Ebersole said. “They removed it, and I walked around for three months with a big chunk taken out of my skill while my brain had time to un-swell.” After three months, the piece of skull was put back in place with titanium plates and screws.
Ebersole has not allowed that setback to slow her down and realizes she is one of the fortunate ones. “Cavernous sinus thrombosis has a 40 percent mortality rate, and the other 60 percent rarely recover without eye or brain damage,” she said. “The fact that I survived – I’m so lucky. I don’t take anything for granted anymore. It set me on my path to being a neurologist.”
A captain of both her travel soccer and softball teams, Ebersole will be a two-year captain of the PW softball team next spring. “It’s easy to overlook what Ragan has had to go through – medically speaking – simply because Ragan does,” PW softball coach Dana Moyer said. “She could have surgery on Monday and on Tuesday ask what time she should be at practice. She’s super dedicated and always concerned about the team before herself. Ragan is one of the greatest human beings I’ve had the pleasure of coaching.” Ebersole boasts a 4.06 GPA and for the past two years has been enrolled in a program through the tech school called Allied Health with classes at Mercy Suburban Hospital.
To read Ebersole’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/ragan-ebersole-0065010
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Sept. 28, 2016)
It was the ultimate night to remember for Quakertown’s Noah Wood. After starting the season with three losses, the Panthers opened league play against Wissahickon. The admitted vocal leader who is at the epicenter of the pre-game rituals, the Quakertown senior went on the field and put the team on his 5-7 and 170-pound frame and literally carried the Panthers into the winner’s circle. A three-year starter at inside linebacker, Wood made his first major impact as a running back, toting the rock 21 times for 247 yards and three touchdowns. He also had a huge defensive performance with 12 tackles, including five for a loss, and a pair of sacks. It was most meaningful, Wood said, because it was the game of a lifetime in a win when wins seem elusive after two seasons where the Panthers had double digits in the W column.
If you shake the Wood family tree, a bunch of footballs will fall out in place of leaves. Grandfather, Arthur, played for Pennridge, and dad, Todd, played for Souderton. His brother Luke, who moved on to Wilkes University, preceded him at Quakertown. While his family leads the cheering section in the bleachers, he also has a fan in head coach George Banas. “What can I tell you about Noah,” said Banas, who gave Wood the opportunity to start and call the defensive signals as a sophomore. “He is an absolute warrior. He is our leader – physically and mentally – on and off the field. I still cannot believe the output we get from him, both defensively and offensively this year. We have put a lot of pressure on him. Noah has never complained and just shows up to work every day. At times, I almost feel bad for him because I know he is hurting, but I also know he would never come out of the game.”
When the football season ends, Wood will be wrestling as a 180-pounder for coach Kurt Handel. A year ago, Wood played the end of the football season on a bum knee that needed MCL surgery after the season. He missed a good portion of the season and didn’t go as far in the preseason as he would have liked. He ended up reinjuring the knee, which meant a second surgery and rehab of 6-7 weeks at the end of wrestling season. Handel has zero doubts that Wood will make his final season in competitive wrestling one to remember. “Noah is the whole package from a coach’s perspective,” Handel said. “He is a leader who leads by example and is just a hard worker. He makes everyone around him want to work harder – they don’t want to let him down. On top of being an incredible student-athlete, he is the kindest, most respectful, well-mannered young man you could meet.
A stellar student-athlete with a 4.1 weighted GPA, Wood – member of the National Honor Society - aspires to be an orthopedic doctor. He is part of Quakertown’s Best Buddies program, which assists students with disabilities, and he also serves as a youth football coach with the Quakertown Midget Football Association. Wood is hopeful he can attract interest from a Division III school with a strong pre-med program and continue his football career.
To read Wood’s compete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/noah-wood-0064996
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