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02/03/2016 11:00 PMRob Ralston suffered a torn ACL in each of his knees during the past two seasons, but that couldn’t keep the senior from completing his career on the field alongside his teammates in the state championship game.
Rob, who plays linebacker on defense and guard on offense, endured his first injury when he practically shattered his right knee during the fifth game of his junior year. It was an excruciating experience for Rob, to say the least.
“I was running down on a kickoff and I got hit in the shoulder when my foot planted. My knee twisted and I tore my ACL, MCL, PCL, and broke my femur. I was immediately out for the rest of the season,” says Rob. “When it initially happened, my knee was fully dislocated. I was in intense pain. I remember them pulling on my leg until it popped back in. When it did, it was a relief.”
Rob was in for a long recovery, but he worked hard through the rehabilitation process with a goal of getting back on the gridiron for one more season as a senior.
“I wasn’t allowed to walk on it before surgery and, once I got surgery, usually after an ACL you can walk one or two weeks after, but I had to wait an extra month to wait for bone chips to heal,” Rob says. “I immediately started physical therapy at Quinnipiac and went there three times a week for six months. I started out slow as just bending my knee was tough, but eventually kept progressing, and then I started to run and cut and stuff.”
Once he was able to make cuts, Rob’s confidence grew and he felt pumped up to suit up when the Indians hosted Law on opening night this past fall.
“I started both ways game one. It was huge. It was pretty emotional,” says Rob. “I remember before the game, I was feeling a bunch of emotions and my dad was, too. Knowing I made it and all the hard work paid off, it felt special.”
Head Coach Anthony Sagnella was pleased that Rob worked his way back on the field and feels his rough-and-tumble style of play helped North Haven tremendously early in the year.
“The first thing that comes to mind—he’s a tough, hard-nosed, physical football player on both sides of the ball. Being a linebacker, he had a little more agility and mobility, which made him a real prize for our offense because we pull so many linemen,” Sagnella says. “He was big and strong and had mobility to get to the point of attack on our runs, which was a plus on our style of play. And he was big and strong enough to handle guys 1-on-1.”
Rob was certainly making an impact in his senior season, but unfortunately, he suffered another major injury midway through the campaign. This time, it was on his left knee.
“I was chasing down a play and got crack-backed on. My knee buckled and, on that hit, I tore my ACL and meniscus,” says Rob, who’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds. “I missed two games because it wasn’t painful—just felt awkward. It was frustrating because, when I’d hit someone, my knee would buckle a little bit.”
Rob didn’t know the severity of the injury at the time and continued playing through the rest of the season. He ultimately finished with 45 tackles, helped the Indians win 12 games and reach their first state final, and also secured a spot on the Levi Jackson Team.
“I came back to both of my starting spots and finished the season starting. I was happy I was able to do that. It was pretty amazing being in the state championship,” says Rob. “It was exciting to see the whole town of North Haven [at the Class L title game], especially with most of them knowing what I went through. It was definitely a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Rob wasn’t aware he had torn his left ACL until the season was finished and he recently underwent successful surgery. Although he’s already paid a price to play the game, Rob loves football and is looking to continue his career.
“I want to play,” says Rob. “I’m either going to post-grad at another high school or go play in college.”