Even the most talented players can’t avoid a bite from the injury bug.
Senior Luke Cava has been looking forward to his last year of high school soccer, but that was all taken away in the blink of an eye. During the second game of his senior year, he tore his ACL and his Lateral and Medial Meniscus.
“I knew it was serious because when I tore it, it popped really loud and I had to come off, so I figured it was bad,” Cava said. “Within the next week, I got an MRI and the Orthopedic confirmed it.”
Cava tore his ACL and Meniscus on August 29 but had to wait until September 27 to get surgery. Cava does have plans on coming back from the injury and pursuing soccer in college, but his senior year meant a lot to him.
“It was my last chance to play with the guys I’ve played with my whole life and bring a state title back to Londonderry,” Cava said.
Cava has been playing soccer for 14 years, and throughout that time, he has met a lot of his close friends.
“I’m going to miss being on the field to celebrate goals with my best friends,” Cava said.
One of Cava’s friends senior Josh Rutina is also a captain on the team and said losing Cava to injury “has been tough on the team and him.”
“Luke is my best friend and not having him on the field doesn’t feel the same,” Rutina said.
Rutina said losing Cava “shook the team” and that it was a “big adjustment [they] had to make early on in the season” if they wanted to be competitive against top teams.
“Not having Luke is a giant loss, but Cava still has a huge impact on the team. He’s like another coach,” Rutina said, “Being a leader off the field is very important because the motivation we need is what he gives us.”
Although Cava is unable to participate in the game play, he still tries to stay involved.
“I go to all the practices and games because I am still a captain and leader on the team. I stand on the sidelines and motivate my team, and give them constructive criticism on how I think they could improve.”
The recovery process has started for Cava, but it is far from over. He said he will be on crutches for six weeks and will go to physical therapy to regain his range of motion.
“When I can walk again, I’ll be working on riding a bike and trying to strengthen all the muscles around my knee to try to get it back to where I was,” Cava said.
Cava sees this injury as a minor setback, and something he can overcome.
“I will not be able to play competitive soccer for somewhere between nine to twelve months, but when I come back, I will be better than ever.”
