Ryan Ross was told his season was over.
The Bishop Ford wide receiver/defensive back broke his left ankle when a Cardinal Hayes player fell on it all the way back in Week 3 on Sept 26. His doctor told him it would take 10 to 12 weeks for it to heal, all but ending his senior season. To make matters worse, Ross had to stand on the sidelines and watch as injuries riddled an already small Falcons roster.
“Watching every game, it hurt me being in the side knowing that I couldn’t help them,” Ross said.
He will finally get his chance.
When Ross went back to the doctor a week and a half ago and was told his ankle was healing quicker than expected he made a deal with his doctor. If Bishop Ford made it to the CHSFL Class A championship game he would be cleared to play. The Falcons did just that Saturday with a 38-0 win over Cardinal Spellman, a team that had beaten a depleted version of the squad a week earlier. The 6-foot, 160-pound, Ross was given the OK on Monday to play against host St. Peter’s 1 p.m. Saturday. Bishop Ford last won the crown in 2004. The Eagles won the regular season meeting 24-0 on Oct. 24.
“It was a great feeling, knowing that I am coming back, knowing that I had one more chance to play,” he said. “That’s what matters most to me.”
His ankle is still hurting, but nowhere near the pain he was once feeling and not enough that he can’t fight through on the field. Ross will see limited action because of that, but the every time he is out there he adds something his team has been missing most of the season. Bishop coach Jim Esposito said it means everything to get Ross back.
“He is just the smartest guy I got,” Esposito said. … “If I put him on the field as an outside linebacker or free safety or a receiver, he is going to make the right play. To be honest there are not enough guys like that.”
Added senior linebacker Tim Wade: “He doesn’t miss a tackle.”
Ross isn’t the only Ford player battling through injury. Wade, who also plays fullback, missed the final game of the regular season with a deep thigh bruise, and has been playing hurt since a loss to Stepinac on Oct.11. Running back Devon Mitchell has been battling a pulled groin since Week 2 and its explosive playmaker Steven Browne missed three of the final four regular season games with a sprained ankle. Two-way linemen Thomas Macca (ACL) and David Geffrard (knee) missed the bulk of the season. Ford lost its final six games, scoring just 20 points over that span, after starting 2-0.
“It’s disappointing because the team that we have is so good, the fact that we had these injuries really messed up our season a little bit,” Mitchell said. “The record doesn’t fit the team that we were supposed to have on the field.”
Wade and Mitchell will just be playing linebacker come Sunday. Wade said it was odd watching the offense from the sideline and that sophomore Brian Lopez has filled in nicely in the backfield. Browne will be used in spots. The junior caught a touchdown as from Anthony Esposito in his one play during last week’s 38-0 win over Spellman.
“He is a playmaker,” Mitchell said. “Hopefully one play is all we need from him.”
Getting in there for just a handful of plays is something Ross is happy to have back. It’s something that made his decision to take the option to come back his doctor gave him an easy.
“Right when he said that,” Ross said. “I knew I was going to play.”