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Great to be back
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| H&N photo by Andrew Mariman Recovered: Henley senior forward Steven Wedan (32), shown making his season debut Dec. 16 at Klamath Union, is back in the Hornet lineup after recovering from the third major injury of his high school career. Wedan and the Hornets begin Skyline Conference play tonight at North Valley. |
A top athlete: Steven Wedan returns after 3rd major injury
By JOSH PETRIE
H&N Sports Writer
Steven Wedan is one of Henley’s top male athletes … as long as he’s healthy.
He currently is, and he hopes this time it’s for good.
“It feels great,” Wedan said. “I’ve kind of been plagued, I guess, with injuries over my four years. Finally, just to be back and be healthy for good this time, it feels really nice.”
Wedan endured three major injuries during his high school career, the latest of which was a broken left navicular bone, located on the top of the foot near the ankle.
Reserve forward
The senior is back in the Henley lineup, as a reserve forward, and instead of making up for lost time, he just wants to help his team to a Skyline Conference championship.
“I’m more worried about helping the team go than trying to show any talents that I might have,” Wedan said. “I’m more interested in using those talents, combining them with the talent of our team and then working first for a Skyline championship, then on into state.”
Henley’s quest starts tonight at North Valley in Merlin. The young Hornets expected to have him back by the start of league play, and his return was highly anticipated, even during preseason practices.
“We’ve got Wedan coming back,” senior forward Austin Lesueur said in late November, “and we’ll be solid.”
Wedan started experiencing discomfort near his ankle during last basketball season, and he thought it was simply a sprain. He learned during the spring, when he was competing in track and field, that he played on a broken bone.
Wedan returned in time for football, and he began the fall as the Hornets’ No. 1 quarterback, but he sat out the season opener and lasted less than a full game before being sidelined again.
For three months afterward, Wedan’s focus was on getting healthy for basketball season.
His previous two injuries, both requiring surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament of his right elbow during his freshman and sophomore years, prepared him mentally for the rehabilitation process.
Coming along slowly
“The first injury was the hardest on me, just not being able to play anything,” Wedan said. “After my second, and now my third, it’s still a bummer not being able to play, but you learn how to cope with the mental side and just work to strengthen and get back as fast as you can.”
The main obstacle in Wedan’s return has been his physical limitation. He made his first appearance of the season Dec. 16 against Klamath Union, but sat the next game against Mazama two days later.
He was back in uniform last Friday against South Umpqua and entered the game as Henley’s third man off the bench. He played 12 minutes, 39 seconds — the equivalent of a quarter and a half — and scored two points, both on free throws.
Wedan’s offensive skills aren’t up to speed, but he already can make a defensive impact. Though he put on an ankle brace after starting the game without it, he appeared undeterred as he defended the interior, switched out to cover guards and made a habit of slapping the ball out of Lancer players’ hands on the perimeter.
“I’ve always prided myself on my ability to get rebounds and play hard defense,” Wedan said. “The offense comes.”
Hornets’ sixth man
At Wedan’s current pace, head coach Jack Lee believes he will be the Hornets’ sixth man in the next couple weeks and could work his way into the starting lineup. Lee, however, is erring on the side of caution and deferring to Wedan in terms of his ability to play.
“Steven’s smart. He’s been doing a lot of physical therapy on his own, which is really nice,” Lee said. “I’ve told him he’s his own judge and if it hurts, just let me know. Right now, I’m taking his word.”
He currently is, and he hopes this time it’s for good.
“It feels great,” Wedan said. “I’ve kind of been plagued, I guess, with injuries over my four years. Finally, just to be back and be healthy for good this time, it feels really nice.”
Wedan endured three major injuries during his high school career, the latest of which was a broken left navicular bone, located on the top of the foot near the ankle.
Reserve forward
The senior is back in the Henley lineup, as a reserve forward, and instead of making up for lost time, he just wants to help his team to a Skyline Conference championship.
“I’m more worried about helping the team go than trying to show any talents that I might have,” Wedan said. “I’m more interested in using those talents, combining them with the talent of our team and then working first for a Skyline championship, then on into state.”
Henley’s quest starts tonight at North Valley in Merlin. The young Hornets expected to have him back by the start of league play, and his return was highly anticipated, even during preseason practices.
“We’ve got Wedan coming back,” senior forward Austin Lesueur said in late November, “and we’ll be solid.”
Wedan started experiencing discomfort near his ankle during last basketball season, and he thought it was simply a sprain. He learned during the spring, when he was competing in track and field, that he played on a broken bone.
Wedan returned in time for football, and he began the fall as the Hornets’ No. 1 quarterback, but he sat out the season opener and lasted less than a full game before being sidelined again.
For three months afterward, Wedan’s focus was on getting healthy for basketball season.
His previous two injuries, both requiring surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament of his right elbow during his freshman and sophomore years, prepared him mentally for the rehabilitation process.
Coming along slowly
“The first injury was the hardest on me, just not being able to play anything,” Wedan said. “After my second, and now my third, it’s still a bummer not being able to play, but you learn how to cope with the mental side and just work to strengthen and get back as fast as you can.”
The main obstacle in Wedan’s return has been his physical limitation. He made his first appearance of the season Dec. 16 against Klamath Union, but sat the next game against Mazama two days later.
He was back in uniform last Friday against South Umpqua and entered the game as Henley’s third man off the bench. He played 12 minutes, 39 seconds — the equivalent of a quarter and a half — and scored two points, both on free throws.
Wedan’s offensive skills aren’t up to speed, but he already can make a defensive impact. Though he put on an ankle brace after starting the game without it, he appeared undeterred as he defended the interior, switched out to cover guards and made a habit of slapping the ball out of Lancer players’ hands on the perimeter.
“I’ve always prided myself on my ability to get rebounds and play hard defense,” Wedan said. “The offense comes.”
Hornets’ sixth man
At Wedan’s current pace, head coach Jack Lee believes he will be the Hornets’ sixth man in the next couple weeks and could work his way into the starting lineup. Lee, however, is erring on the side of caution and deferring to Wedan in terms of his ability to play.
“Steven’s smart. He’s been doing a lot of physical therapy on his own, which is really nice,” Lee said. “I’ve told him he’s his own judge and if it hurts, just let me know. Right now, I’m taking his word.”
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