Friday Night Lights: THE HEART OF A BLUE PONY

Playing high school football is always a fleeting experience and no matter how much athletes try to cherish and treasure their time on the gridiron, often times, it comes and goes, seemingly in the blink of an eye.

Part of the reason for that is that when it comes to football, once it's over, it's over. There aren't any pickup games on intramural opportunities, if you aren't good enough to play collegiately, then four years in high school is all you get, unless of course, you don't even get that.

Unfortunately, a lot of athletes get their time in the athletic arena cut short due to injury and when it comes to the Havre High football team, no one knows that circumstance better than Jazz Schroeder.

Back in 2015, as a sophomore, Schroeder was on his way to establishing himself as a solid two-way starter for the Ponies. Not only was he one of the primary ball carriers for a team that made it all the way to the Class A state semifinals, he was also carving out a role for himself at linebacker.

Schroeder may have only had eight tackles during that sophomore season, but he was also the Ponies' second-leading rusher with 378 yards and seven touchdowns. And entering his junior season, his role was set to expand further, on both sides of the ball.

Yet, that plan would not come to fruition. In the first game of the 2016 season against Whitefish, Schroeder suffered a season-ending knee injury and suddenly, his once promising careers on the football field and the wrestling mat, were put on hold.

"We didn't want to assume anything right off the bat," Schroeder said. "Because my brother did the same thing, but last year, during the Hardin game I went down early and got it checked out and the doctors confirmed that I had torn my ACL and that was devastating, knowing that I was going to miss my entire junior season of football and wrestling."

As Jazz Schroeder said, his brother, Jordan Schroeder went through something similar. He also tore his ACL and missed his senior season of football back in 2014, before returning to the wrestling mat in the winter of 2015 to earn a third-place finish at the Class A state tournament. Jazz, who is hoping to follow in those footsteps, said he went to his brother for advice.

"He just told me that I can't be scared with it," Jazz Schroeder said. "You can't play scared and you can't be afraid to get hurt again, because that is only going to make it more likely that you will hurt yourself again."

So, last September, the 12th to be exact, Schroeder had surgery to repair his knee and from that day forward, he has been working to get back. Overall, the process was six to nine months, but it started slowly.

After a couple months, Schroeder was able to get on the stationary bike and then a few months later in the spring, he was cleared to do more and by the time summer rolled around, he was close to 100 percent.

"I just really tried to hit the rehab hard," Schroeder said. "I went to my physical therapy and my parents were really on me to do it and finally, I slowly got back. I was able to ride the bike and then I was able to do everything else again. This summer, I did the team football camp here and I also did the Bear Paw wrestling camp, so by then, I was feeling pretty good."

Now, Schroeder says he feels 100 percent. He said his carries are still being monitored and might be until the middle of the season, but at middle linebacker, he is a full go.

"Jazz, he is our guy inside," HHS head coach Ryan Gatch said. "He calls the defense and he really is the heart and soul for us inside."

Last week in Havre's 15-7 loss to Hardin, Schroeder got his first experience back in game action, which is an something he is looking to build upon tonight, when HHS will battle Lewistown (7 p.m.) in a critical Eastern A showdown.

"I had been waiting for that day since my surgery," Schroeder said. "Just waiting and waiting, so getting to play against Hardin, was very exciting."

Yet, as much as it meant for Schroeder to play against the Bulldogs, his return won't feel complete until he steps back onto the field at Blue Pony Stadium, which happens tonight, against arch rival Lewistown.

"I am going to be full of joy," Schroeder said. "Whenever I walk out of that tunnel, it gets me pumped up and ready to play. I love that place. There is no better place to play a football game."