A high school wrestling career nearly ended early for one student in northern New York.Despite the odds, Saranac High School senior Ryan Devins had a miraculous recovery from breaking his leg and is back on the mat much quicker than even he expected.”I actually didn’t think I was going to be able to,” Devins said. “It was kind of a mental game. I had to keep working myself until I could start walking again … It all worked up for there.”Devins broke his tibia and fibula in his right leg back on Sept. 17 in a football game against Saranac Lake High School. Devins was looking to break up a pass to the opposing receiver when the accident happened.”It’s kind of crazy,” Devins said. “I just went up for the ball and came down wrong… My leg was sideways, it was nuts.”His teammates felt his pain.”There was a lot of tears being shed,” said junior wrestler and football receiver Alex Clancy. “I remember being on the field. I saw he was in pain. I was like, ‘Oh no, this is not good.'”As Devins sat on the sidelines, the Chiefs used his absence as motivation. They finished as Section VII’s Class C regular season and sectional football champions. Throughout the title chase, they always made sure to keep Devins in mind.”The motivation throughout the season was that we were doing it for him,” Clancy said. “He wanted that championship so bad … we had to push ourselves to be the best we possibly could to get that win for him.”Midway through December, he was cleared to return to wrestling and did not waste any time to find success. Devins placed 2nd in the Eastern States high school boys wrestling tournament, an event comprised of schools from seven other states. It was the first time he placed in the top 3 at a regional-level competition.”That’s all I ever wanted to do,” Devins said. “Just to be in the final in a big tournament like that.”Heath Smith has coached Saranac wrestling for the past 25 years, but even he has never seen a journey like Devins’ before.”It’s amazing,” Smith said. “With that performance at Eastern States, the sky’s the limit. It doesn’t look like there’s anything that can hold him back.”With New York state wrestling tournaments taking place from Feb. 24 – 25 in Albany, New York, Devins has his sights set on a first-place finish before he graduates, after finishing in sixth place last year.”I can’t wait to see what the rest of this year has in store,” Devins said. “Hopefully I can do big things and be at the top by the end of the year.”
A high school wrestling career nearly ended early for one student in northern New York.
Despite the odds, Saranac High School senior Ryan Devins had a miraculous recovery from breaking his leg and is back on the mat much quicker than even he expected.
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“I actually didn’t think I was going to be able to,” Devins said. “It was kind of a mental game. I had to keep working myself until I could start walking again … It all worked up for there.”
Devins broke his tibia and fibula in his right leg back on Sept. 17 in a football game against Saranac Lake High School. Devins was looking to break up a pass to the opposing receiver when the accident happened.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Devins said. “I just went up for the ball and came down wrong… My leg was sideways, it was nuts.”
His teammates felt his pain.
“There was a lot of tears being shed,” said junior wrestler and football receiver Alex Clancy. “I remember being on the field. I saw he was in pain. I was like, ‘Oh no, this is not good.'”
As Devins sat on the sidelines, the Chiefs used his absence as motivation. They finished as Section VII’s Class C regular season and sectional football champions. Throughout the title chase, they always made sure to keep Devins in mind.
“The motivation throughout the season was that we were doing it for him,” Clancy said. “He wanted that championship so bad … we had to push ourselves to be the best we possibly could to get that win for him.”
Midway through December, he was cleared to return to wrestling and did not waste any time to find success. Devins placed 2nd in the Eastern States high school boys wrestling tournament, an event comprised of schools from seven other states. It was the first time he placed in the top 3 at a regional-level competition.
“That’s all I ever wanted to do,” Devins said. “Just to be in the final in a big tournament like that.”
Heath Smith has coached Saranac wrestling for the past 25 years, but even he has never seen a journey like Devins’ before.
“It’s amazing,” Smith said. “With that performance at Eastern States, the sky’s the limit. It doesn’t look like there’s anything that can hold him back.”
With New York state wrestling tournaments taking place from Feb. 24 – 25 in Albany, New York, Devins has his sights set on a first-place finish before he graduates, after finishing in sixth place last year.
“I can’t wait to see what the rest of this year has in store,” Devins said. “Hopefully I can do big things and be at the top by the end of the year.”
