On September 1st, 2023 a potentially career-ending injury happened to Nolan Vogelsberg in a high school football game. This was only Nolan's third game of the year, but he already had 134 receiving yards from four 4 receptions; he was starting really strong for the season. Then tragedy struck during the Darlington game. Nolan tried to break down for a tackle, but instead he tore his ACL.
Nolan came hopping over to the sideline and fell to the ground; that's when everyone knew there was something seriously wrong with his knee. “The next day was just terrible, I could barely walk and couldn't bend it.” Nolan got a brace and returned to the football field before receiving surgery after the season. He had to train his knee to get it back to normal as soon as possible.
He didn't undergo surgery until November 22nd of that year. In the last game of the 2023 football season, Nolan played as a safety and did a really good job. “My knee felt really good during the whole game,” said Nolan. Once Nolan had surgery, he was cooped up for a couple of weeks. “The recovery time was long and annoying but I just kept trying to strengthen myself the whole time.”
Nolan had to go through physical therapy weekly for four and a half months. “The process was long and mentally challenging,” says Nolan. Nolan was always lifting weights and eating very healthily during the whole process of his recovery. “I knew that I couldn't just sit around all day, I was always doing some kind of new thing with my knee,” Nolan explained.
In the first matchup against Black Hawk this year, Nolan had two interceptions and 10 tackles. “My knee was feeling really good and it just felt like it was in good shape.” Nolan hasn't had much pain in his knee this year besides having some scar tissue that moved around earlier in the season. “I feel like I'm in the best shape of my entire football career, even with coming out of an ACL tear.” Nolan continues to improve and achieve the things that he wants to do in his senior season as the football team continues to play deep into November.