Devon Reedel has a whole lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.
The Neshaminy senior received clearance on Wednesday to play in Friday night’s District One Quad-A showdown against North Penn after being sidelined for six weeks with a knee injury. It was an outcome Reedel didn’t expect as recently as Monday when he visited the doctor.
“I didn’t see the doctor who did my surgery, and it wasn’t looking good for me playing on Friday,” he said. “But my trainer talked to the doctor who did the surgery, and they said my progress had come far enough for me to play on Friday.
“It was a great feeling – I don’t know how to describe it.”
The injury occurred Oct. 11 in the Redskins’ 20-13 win over Council Rock South when Reedel recovered a fumble forced by teammate Paul Carrezola and began running with the football.
“Unfortunately, we thought his season might be officially over,” Redskin coach Mark Schmidt said. “I said to him, ‘You can always remember this play.’
“It was a play that kind of preserved out season and moved it in the right direction.”
The senior outside linebacker was injured when – while being tackled from behind – he landed awkwardly on his right knee.
“When it first happened, I didn’t really think it was as bad as it was,” Reedel said. “I got up after the play, and I didn’t feel anything.
“There was a doctor on the sidelines who told me I couldn’t go back in. At that point, I was kind of disappointed, but it wasn’t until I went to the doctor that I found out I had to have surgery.”
The injury was diagnosed as a torn medial meniscus, and the prognosis was that Reedel – who underwent arthroscopic surgery – would be sidelined six to eight weeks.
“It was really hard,” he said. “You work really hard to get the point where you were at, and to find out that your season was over was tough.”
Reedel continued to attend practices and games.
“Rain or cold – he was out there on crutches,” Schmidt said. “If he wasn’t in practice, he was at rehab. He’s a great kid.”
The timing couldn’t have been worse for a player who was emerging as a major contributor for the Redskins.
“About two or three games before that, he’d really started to hit stride and was really doing some good stuff,” Schmidt said. “He was doing a great job.
“He was huge in the Abington game (a 7-0 win) on both sides. He had the touchdown catch, and he had two or three huge plays that really helped us on defense.”
Reedel, who also plays tight end, acknowledged that being relegated to the sidelines was anything but easy.
“Standing there watching was the hardest part because you weren’t in there contributing and helping your teammates out,” he said.
The recovery time for the surgery was projected as five or six weeks, but that did not allow time for therapy.
“I knew from the timeframe it was going to be around this time, and I knew we would have to make it this far in the playoffs for me to come back,” Reedel said. “I knew my team could get me there.”
Reedel’s return on Friday night beats by one day the most optimistic prognosis of six weeks.
“Thank goodness he’s been a weight room guy because he kind of stretched some things, but the only thing that was really damaged was the cartilage,” Schmidt said. “The good news was it was torn, but it didn’t break away.
“They went in and were able to sew it up. A lot of it had to do with the stability, the strength of that leg because Devon is a really hard worker.”
Reedel’s remarkable return is yet another chapter in a storybook season for a Redskin team that lost its first game of the season to Souderton (14-13) but has since that time reeled off 12 straight wins.
“We hadn’t played together much before that Souderton game,” Reedel said. “We’re a young team. After that loss, we came together and stepped it up. We pulled together and started playing together as a team.”
Last week, the Redskins knocked off previously undefeated Garnet Valley 21-14, setting the stage for Friday night’s showdown against North Penn.
“He was one of the motivations for us to go out and play well because hopefully if we did, it might give him a better chance to get back on the field,” Schmidt said.
Although he admits he feels a bit sore, Reedel is raring to go.
“I started therapy a week and a half ago, and it’s been non-stop lifting and running and trying to get in the best shape I can before going out on Friday and playing,” he said. “Right now I feel great.
“I feel ready to play and hopefully get another win. The best part is actually helping to get the win and not standing on the sidelines and watching.”
And perhaps no player on either team will appreciate the opportunity to play in Friday’s district title showdown more Reedel, whose hard work will take him from the sidelines to the field.
And a season that was declared over for Reedel is alive and well.
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