Bixler’s scholastic athletic career ends with ACL injury

Rushes of excitement flow through his body while drops of sweat stream from his forehead only to meet his lips with a salty taste while Zach Bixler walked onto the mat to wrestle.

“This is my year, my last opportunity to make a mark,” were only a few of the thoughts flowing through his head while he began to wrestle. He and his fellow teammate were practicing moves when a sudden “pop” silenced the room. This moment was when senior Zach Bixler’s final year of high school wrestling came to an end.

Bixler had just finished a successful season of high school soccer, and his hopes were set high for his final season of wrestling. Unfortunately, all of his hope and excitement came to an unexpected halt.

Wrestling and practicing moves with a fellow teammate was all that Bixler was doing when he heard a sudden pop and he fell on the floor. Due to knee on knee contact, Bixler tore his ACL and also his meniscus.

“I thought I was going to be done and would never be able to wrestle or play soccer again, but I also never thought that I would’ve actually tore my ACL,” said Bixler.

He is expected to be out for 6-8 months or maybe even longer, meaning he will be out for all of his senior wrestling and track seasons. He has been doing physical therapy to get his range of motion back. He is scheduled to have surgery on Jan. 17.

Bixler is one of the two seniors on the wrestling team, but being injured leaves Pacey Cramer the only senior on the roster.

“Having a person that has wrestled for such a long time go down really hurts the team, and it makes it even worse that we are already short on kids,” Cramer said. “Losing a wrestler of Zach’s caliber is just really hard to make up.”

Not only does this injury affect the rest of his senior year in sports, but it possibly could also put his college athletic career at risk.

“It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve had to go through, and I might not be able to play soccer my freshman year of college,” Bixler said. “But it honestly might not be a bad thing because it’ll give me some time to get settled into college life.”

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