By Kim J. Harmon

 

Marcus Tracy always thought of himself as invincible … that is, until he found out differently.

It was October 17 and the Newtown High School boys’ soccer team was battling archrival Joel Barlow. Racing after a ball in the penalty box, Tracy – who already had two goals on the night – made an extraordinary effort to reach the ball but somehow got his leg stuck under the tumbling goaltender.

And then the leg snapped back.

“I was scared,” said Marcus. “I stood up and felt a lot of pain throughout my leg and thought – ACL, my career is over.”

What it turned out to be, though, was a strained medial collateral ligament (MCL), a torn meniscus and a broken fibula. Trouble was, only the strained MCL was discovered during the first MRI (mechanical resonance imaging) test taken the following day and the early prognosis was that Marcus would return to the field in a couple of weeks.

And then the real journey began.

“We had hoped he would be back the next game … and the next game … and the next game all year,” said head coach Brian Neumeyer. “It was a huge letdown, but we went on. We used it as a rallying thing and Marcus was a really big part of encouraging the team to carry on.”

But it wasn’t easy – oh, no.

“It was very frustrating,” said Marcus, “because people kept telling me I would be back in two weeks and that’s what I started thinking, too. But I knew my leg was hurt worse than anyone thought.”

Yes, coach Neumeyer kept holding out hope that he would see his most prolific scorer (27 goals in 13 games) back on the field in time for the playoffs, but it became clear that it would not happen. Still, in the South-West Conference championship game against Masuk, coach Neumeyer sent Marcus out on the field (on defense) more to give the team a lift than anything else.

But after five minutes he realized it just wasn’t working.

The Nighthawks were beaten in the SWC championship game (1-0) and took an early exit in the CIAC Class LL state tournament (losing to eventual champion Simsbury, 1-0, in the second round) and it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that a healthy Marcus Tracy could have made a difference.

Coach Neumeyer sure thinks so.

“I do think if we had a healthy Marcus,” coach Neumeyer said, “we would have won our third conference championship and at least gone further in the state tournament.”

Marcus was not the only player to spend time on the times, only the most notable. The ‘Hawks had to also persevere without Ryan Keogler, Matt McFadden, Ryan Davies and Marc Doherty at points throughout the season.

But Marcus – well, he is the big dog.

“I never felt like I was letting the team down,” admitted Marcus, “but it was frustrating because I knew I could have helped if I was out there.”

By the time he got hurt, just about everyone had heard of Marcus Tracy – of the incredible things he was able to go on the field – and it was almost a given that he would be named to the All-SWC and All-State soccer teams. But sometime in late November, coach Neumeyer hailed Marcus on his cell phone and imparted another piece of good news.

Marcus had also been named All-New England.

All of that, after missing the final six games of the season. So, wouldn’t he have to wonder … what if?

“All the time,” he admitted, “but I tried not to think about that stuff, whether or not I could have been an All-American.”

With only a short layover between the fall and winter sports seasons, it was around this time that Newtown High School boys’ basketball coach John Quinn discovered he would be without his starting point guard for more than a month.

“The kid is the most gifted athlete I’ve seen in my six years here,” said coach Quinn. “With him and Andrew (Fiscella), arguably we have the two best athletes in the conference. (The injury) really had an impact on our team.”

Marcus finally came back on January 3 against Immaculate. Although he didn’t score, he got his sea legs back in that game and a few days later – against Notre Dame – he literally hit the ground running, making some stunning offensive moves and even one amazing defensive play that was very nearly goaltending.

But he played only three games before having to sit another 11 more games while recuperating from the fibula injury, which was finally properly diagnosed. Marcus returned to the floor on February 3 against Stratford and scored 11 points in a 52-49 loss.

Marcus played just eight games (and like soccer, he was only the most notable player who spent time on the sidelines, with Brian Smith, Jake Rouse and Devon Manfredonia all missing games due to illness or injury) and, all in all, has missed more than 20 games through soccer and basketball.

“It is one of the hardest things I have had to face in my life,” he admitted. “But it’s something I have to put in the back of my mind. It’s been like a big test and a lot of people have helped me get through it.”

Marcus – who has already gotten letters from the Yale, Brown, Clemson and University of Connecticut soccer programs – will return to the soccer field this spring with Beachside (U17) premier team. And the desire is already burning for the fall of 2004.

“I can’t wait,” he said. “I look at all those other guys – like Rodrigo (DeSouza) and (Marc) Dougherty – and I think about how they will have matured and gotten better after the spring season.”

But Marcus is moving on with a new perspective on his athletic life. Sure, he won’t alter or take the edge off his style, but neither will be take these games for granted.

“I look at it as a reality check,” said Marcus. “I thought of myself as invincible, but I know now (an injury) is possible.”