With his lacrosse stick in hand, senior Dave Pons prepares to smash his opponent’s stick when an opening arises.  He immediately strikes when his opponent’s arm moves farther away from his body.  The ball flies out of his opponent’s possession.  Pons checks his opponent and throws himself forward to scoop up the ball.  While cradling the ball in his stick, he races off to pass the ball to one of his teammates without feeling the pain of his hernia injury that he suffered last year.

Pons walked onto the team this spring completely cleared for play following a hernia injury that sidelined him for the fall.

He injured himself while lifting weights before the lacrosse season began last year and was not sure on the specifics of the injury.  Varsity lacrosse coach Keith Hinder responded to the situation by insisting Pons find out what was wrong and get proper medical attention.

Pons was diagnosed with two hernias, but Pons decided to continue to play for the entire season.  “I was lucky,” Pons said.  “I didn’t need surgery, just physical therapy.”

“I’m always concerned for all my players. I talked to them and Erik [Fabriziani] to make sure they can go [play],” Hinder said.  But he was not worried about losing Pons for the season.   “[Pons] is a very tough player,” Hinder said.

Even though he kept playing, Pons was concerned he “would never be completely healthy again.”

Hinder checked in with Pons, along with his other players, before practices and games to make sure they felt alright.  “[Pons] is smart enough to know when to shut it down,” Hinder said.

As the lacrosse season ended last year, Pons made the decision to forgo his last football season.  “I didn’t care.  I just wanted to get better,” Pons said.

Pons spent many hours a week in physical therapy up until late October when he was finally released.

The injury was not completely a negative experience for Pons.  “The experience taught me how to eat well and better take care of my body,” Pons said.

The next challenge for Pons was getting back in shape and building up to where he had previously been.  “I started running and then lifting.  But due to my previous experience, I haven’t lifted as much and instead focused on lacrosse,” Pons said.

At this point in time Pons “feels good.”  He has no side effects from his injuries besides seeing a trainer before practices and games to properly stretch the muscle.

Pons advises other athletes facing injuries to get help sooner than later.  “You’re better off getting help; you get back to the game sooner,” Pons said.

He is certainly not the only player on the team with existing injuries.  “Not one player on the team is 100 percent at this time of the season.  The running, checking and hitting takes a toll on the body,” Hinder said.

Pons and senior Sam Chell were chosen as defensive and offensive captains, respectively, this year.  “Having Dave on the team is great.  Not only is he a great captain along with Sam, but also a leader and a coach on the field,” Hinder said.

Pons plans on “aiding his team to win a championship” this year.  In the further future, Pons will attend the University of Kentucky and play club lacrosse.

Rachel Kokoska can be reached for comment at [email protected].