Sager Runs Through Injury to Snag County Athlete of the Week Honors
La Grange sprinter Jeremy Sager went through quite the series of events Thursday at the Leopard Relay track meet in La Grange. Sager participated in the 4x400 relay and was tripped during his race, fell and dislocated his shoulder, but he still got up to finish his race in order to help his team finish second place.
“I’ll tell you what, that was a gutsy run,” said La Grange head boys track coach Eric Amick. Sager is also on the golf team and played a round before the meet. “Coming off a golf course where you’re walking that far then coming out, running a mile, and 20 minutes later running the 4x400,” Amick said. “On top of that, eating the turf, getting up and having to boogie, that’s tough. It’s just gutsy. I saw a lot of kids in the past that tend to just stop and he kept on. It’s that kind of mentality. That grind it out, ‘hey they need me, I’m an alternate, it’s my turn to step up.’ It’s that kind of mentality that will help us with the track season and propelling us to our goals.” Sager’s story is one for the ages and one that we can all learn from, giving him the nod for this edition’s Player of the Week.
Question: What was going through your mind during the episode at the 4x400 relay?
Answer: “Mainly what was going through my head, no matter what was happening, or how much pain I felt, I couldn’t stop. I had to keep on running and just finish for my teammates.”
Question: Where would you say you’re at in the recovery process?
Answer: “It’s going pretty good. I went to my surgeon
Monday and he said that I’m making good progress and recovering. Hopefully I’ll be able to run this meet that we have Thursday.”
Question: Which event in track are you best at and why?
Answer: “I would say the mile because that is my fastest time that I’ve ever gotten. Coach Amick believes that I can get a 4:30 mile and I’m hoping I can do that this year as well.”
Question: What’s the attention been like after the incident on the track?
Answer: “I’ve had people come up to me and ask me ‘What made you think you could finish that race with how much pain?’”
Question: Who’s your favorite music artist and why?
Answer: “My favorite music artist would probably be Morgan Wallen because I like the music that he has and it helps calm me down before my race so I don’t get as nervous.”
Question: You’re also on the golf team, how’s that going for you?
Answer: “It’s going OK. I definitely need to practice a little bit more. I can get a lot better with my short game. It was really tough for me going out there and walking all those holes and then having a track meet right after that.”
Question: If you could go for a run at one place, where would it be and why?
Answer: “Probably Pebble Beach because I’ve heard it’s really nice there. I’ve never been and I feel like right after my run or before my run, I can go play a round of golf there with my dad.”
Question: What would you say is the most enjoyable part about high school?
Answer: “Getting to hang out with all of my friends each day.”
Question: What are your aspirations for the rest of the season?
Answer: “Aspirations would be to help myself get better, practice more, and get new personal records.”
Question: If you could pick out one thing that you admire about the city of La Grange, what would it be?
Answer: “It would be about how small of a town it is. No matter if you know a person or not, you just have random acts of kindness here more often. Everybody’s here to help each other.”
Sager’s recent occurrence sets a precedent for having a great attitude and to never give up.
Recent FCR’s Athlete of the Week
Jan. 7: Jaxon Cooper, La Grange basketball
Jan. 14: Phillip Arceneaux, La Grange soccer
Jan. 21: Jessalyn Gipson, Schulenburg basketball
Jan. 28: Duke Sodek, Flatonia basketball
Feb. 4: Trey Cunningham, La Grange swimming
Feb. 11: Marissa Rohde, Fayetteville basketball
Feb. 18: Megan Davis, La Grange soccer
Feb. 25: Jaidyn Guyton, Flatonia basketball
March 4: La Grange soccer defense
* Read about the new honorees in our Friday editions and then watch their interviews on our Facebook page a few days later.