Kevin Murray
Almost immediately after Kevin Murray heard a pop in his leg, he knew it wasn't an ordinary injury.
With eight minutes remaining in MacArthur's first soccer game of the season against US Grant on Feb. 17, the senior attempted a slide tackle, but something went horribly wrong. The bottom of his cleat caught the turf, simultaneously breaking his fibula and ankle.
He wasn't aware of what exactly happened, but as he tried to collect himself, he realized he couldn't walk.
"It just felt different," Murray said. "I felt it pop, and I've had injuries before, but it was nothing like this. (My teammates) told me, 'Come on, Kevin, get up!' and I said, 'I can't walk.' It swelled up so much instantly after I broke it, and I knew it wasn't normal."
After being carried off the playing field, Murray was sent to the hospital for examination. That is where he found out the devastating news.
"The doctor came in right away," Murray said. "He told me my ankle and fibula were broken -- it was something I wasn't expecting to happen. I thought soccer would just be something to keep me in shape for off-season."
Murray wasn't the only one who had to adjust to the injury, though.
It took almost everyone by surprise, especially the football coaches. A few of them even learned something new about the outside linebacker.
"They were shocked," Murray said. "Some of them didn't even know I played soccer. Some of them did, but others were like, 'You're actually playing?'
"It happened on a Friday, so when I came in after the weekend using crutches, they were like, 'You play soccer?'"
Of course, an injury of that magnitude meant Murray had to be out of commission for at least a couple of months. As a result, he was forced to miss the entirety of the soccer season and spring football.
He was forced to accept his fate and helplessly watch from the sidelines throughout the spring months until he fully recovered.
On top of the heartbreak he felt for missing his final year of spring football, he had to deal with excruciating pain on a daily basis. During that time, he went to physical therapy up to three times a week and had to continuously wear a walking boot to go along with his crutches.
In all, Murray estimates he spent 80-90 days on the walking aids.
"It was terrible -- it was more than heartbreaking," Murray said. "I felt the need to be out there so bad, even though it was just a preseason kind of thing like spring ball. It still felt horrible -- it was like being in a normal season with an injury.
Soccer and spring football weren't the only things Murray missed out on.
He was set to begin work at a retirement home in Lawton a day after the gruesome injury, but given the circumstances, his start date was pushed back to May.
However, the time he spent in recovery taught him a valuable lesson, and once he finally began work, he viewed things from a different perspective.
"A lot of (the retirees) can't walk or have a walker or a cane, and being with an injury myself, it showed me it can happen to anybody," Murray said. "Even if their injury didn't come from playing a sport, they still had the same kind of limitations I had."
Now that Murray is healed and able to put on the pads once more, he rarely misses a play.
Furthermore, Mac coach Brett Manning said the 6-1 linebacker has been nothing but reliable for the Highlanders' defense.
"He's been a real constant for us at that outside backer," Manning said. "We've moved people around and have done a lot of different things with that position, but he's been the guy who's really held down his side of it."
However, despite his undeniable success, this is Murray's last season on the gridiron.
Throughout his time at Mac, Murray has experienced numerous injuries -- too many for his preferred health. Murray suffered from concussions his sophomore year, and last year he was on the I.R. list again with a severe MCL pull.
Rather than continuing to put his body on the line for short-lived glory, he plans to focus on his academics, which have always been his top priority.
"I think sports are a no-go," Murray said. "Academics have always been my No. 1 thing. I have a high ACT score and a little bit more success in school, so I just thought sports are something I'd do for fun. It's not something I really want to pursue at the next level."
When Murray graduates this May, he plans to take his smarts to the University of Oklahoma to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering.
Murray said it didn't take long for him to realize Norman is the place he belongs moving forward.
"While I was on my crutches, I went and visited the campus," Murray said. "They're building new facilities for biomedical studies, so it's a good year to graduate here and start going there next year."
Manning said Murray won't have any problems transitioning his work ethic to his future endeavors.
"He's one of those guys who is going to be successful when he leaves high school," Manning said. "He's going to have the discipline and the attitude to do whatever he chooses to do. Whatever it is, he's going to find success."