Trey Longacre
When Trey Longacre departed from his home on June 29 earlier this year, it seemed to be just another summer Thursday.
Longacre, along with one of his friends, was on his way to a baseball tournament in Weatherford, and though it was only a one and a half-hour drive from Lawton, the pair never showed up. A terrible accident occurred along the way to prevent them from doing so.
As Longacre drove along Highway-54, a group of deer entered the roadway, giving him little reaction time. He was forced to swerve his vehicle, managing to successfully dodge a couple of the antlered mammals.
There were just too many, though.
Longacre slammed into one of the deer, sending his vehicle plummeting into a nearby ditch. He doesn't remember what happened immediately after the accident, for the impact of the crash knocked him unconscious.
The injuries suffered by him and his friend, though severe, were not life-threatening. Longacre escaped with only a broken nose and lost a chunk of skin from his right kneecap, which took "a lot" of stitches to repair. His friend broke numerous bones and is still enduring the recovery process.
When Longacre awoke from his involuntary slumber, he couldn't quite comprehend what happened to him.
"It didn't hit me until I was first arriving at the hospital," Longacre said. "I was put in an ambulance, and I didn't regain consciousness until a couple of minutes before I got there.
"I didn't know what to think. I didn't think it was possible at the time because I never really had any serious injuries, so I just didn't know what to think."
After a short stay in the hospital, Longacre was released and was expected to make a full recovery. What ensued, however, were months of grueling physical therapy sessions and limited mobility.
Longacre had to wear a brace and couldn't use his damaged leg for much of anything, which he believes extended his recovery period. There were even days when doubts creeped into his mind, making him wonder if he would ever recuperate.
"Not doing anything on (my leg) and not staying active on it made it skinnier and skinnier, so the process took a little bit longer.
"There were some days where I didn't think it'd be able to get done. It would feel like I had to rush it, but it turned out it didn't need to be that way."
Of course, Longacre said he knows he was lucky on that fateful day. He is aware things could've been much worse for not only him, but his friend as well.
As a result, Longacre's outlook on life changed for the better.
"Now I know opportunities should not ever be wasted," Longacre said. "You should take 100 percent of your opportunities and go the right way. Don't waste anything that comes toward you."
Longacre, now a senior, was out of commission for most of the football offseason. He didn't participate in team practices in a physical manner until the second week of scrimmages in late August.
It was well worth the wait, though.
Behind only fellow senior Jarious McKnight, the 5-5 receiver is currently second on the team in receptions and yards with 23 catches for 303 yards and two touchdowns.
"It feels great, almost as if nothing happened," Longacre said. "I try to go 100 percent as much as I can and pretend like it's not there. I act as normal as I can."
MacArthur coach Brett Manning even compares him to some notable NFL talent.
"He's a small kid," Manning said. "He's your Wes Welker and Cole Beasley type guy, and he gives great effort. He's got a lot of fire in him, he's fun to coach, he has a great personality and he's good to be around."
Although Longacre enjoys the game of football, his true love is baseball, and he wants to continue playing once his time at Mac expires this May.
He hasn't decided where he will end up, but he has garnered interest from Eastern Oklahoma State, Alabama State and West Texas A&M.
"The No. 1 sport that I like is baseball," Longacre said. "That's what I plan on doing in college, so whenever I'm not at school or doing football, I'm pretty much doing baseball. Usually I'm up here at the cages getting work in because I know we have a big season coming up in front of us."
Wherever he chooses to go, Longacre plans to pursue a degree in sports medicine, for obvious reasons.
"I want to be around sports as much as I can."