The Price To Play: ACL injury doesn't stop Macomb's Ford

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By Dylan Austin, Sports Reporter - bio | email

Max Ford (#3) is playing his senior season with an ACL that could tare at any moment.

MACOMB, Ill. (WGEM) -- Just before the high school football season kicked off, Macomb senior Max Ford had a decision to make.

Facing a career threatening knee injury, he could sit out his senior year with an ACL ready to give at any moment, or roll the dice and continue to play the game he loves.

"They said if I played it would probably just tare randomly, just practicing or even walking down the hallway, said Ford.

The doctors also told Ford he could play, if he could stand the pain.

His mind was already made up.

"I would have let down my friends and my family if I didn't play this year regardless of the injury."

Macomb head coach Kelly Sears didn't stand in his way.

"After the first night that he played we had early Saturday morning workouts and it was really swollen and sore," said Sears.

"The big thing is, he's just got to play through the pain, and he's doing that. He's a tough young man."

Even though ford has been playing through pain with limitations, it hasn't held him back from contributing a (6-0) start to the Bombers season.

In some ways, the injury has forced him to play with his brain, rather than his legs.

"Last year I didn't have to be in the right place, because I could physically get anywhere I needed to, but this year I've definitely had to change it up," Ford expressed.

"When I get in the game, I don't think about it. I just think about what my job is, and I do it."