Nashua North's Jahmar Gathright runs through a drill during the Titans' first day of practice.
To say the play on which Jahmar Gathright was hurt last season was a fluke wouldn’t be right.
It was certainly a fluke, but it didn’t happen on anything close to a play. If it had been, perhaps Gathright would have been OK.
During a pregame walk-through before the first football playoff game in Nashua High School North history, Gathright corralled a pass between his helmet and his arm, locking the ball in just above his shoulder. Had it been a full practice, or even a game, he probably wouldn’t have caught the ball, thanks to the bulk of shoulder pads that would have been under his jersey.
Instead, Gathright landed awkwardly on that arm, breaking his collar bone and ending his 2009 football season.
For the following two weeks, the junior stood on the sidelines and watched as the Titans defeated Manchester Central for their first playoff win, and as North lost to Salem in the Division I championship game.
It was about as painful as the injury itself.
“I was on the sideline and it was hard to watch because I was there the whole season,” Gathright said. “Not to play the last few games was hard. People knew I was hurting.”
North coach Jason Robie was one of them.
“I know looking at him before the playoff game, before the championship game, before Thanksgiving, he was just very upset,” Robie said. “You could see he wanted to be out there with his teammates, helping them. He’s a competitor and when you can’t compete, that makes it hard.”
It’s also tough not to ask what might have been different for the Titans had Gathright been able to play. North lost to Salem, 28-21, in a close game that came down to the final minutes.
“He can do so many things,” Robie said. “He can run down hill with the football and he can beat you to the outside with speed. He is a multi-dimensional kid. When he is on the field, he can line up at any one of three or four different positions. Our offense, we have the flexibility to do that, so it really suits him.
“He put in a lot of hard work in the offseason. He’s a leader and he doesn’t run off at the mouth. He just goes out and does his job.”
Gathright and his teammates spent a large portion of the offseason lifting and running together, trying to stay in shape and enter the preseason a step ahead.
“We worked out all offseason to get ready,” Gathright said. “Lifting, running, staying in shape and getting strong. Working out together, you know, you’ve been through it and we know how it feels to lose and we don’t want to experience that again. We want to get back and win it.”
Both Gathright and Robie believe that the injury can not only help out the player, but serve as a lesson to the rest of the team, especially the seniors.
“Don’t take anything for granted because you never know,” Robie said. “I mean, he got hurt in a pregame walk-through. It can happen to anybody. We have a new group of seniors. And next year, we’ll have a new group of seniors. You get one shot at this thing as a senior.”
For Gathright, that means working hard every day.
“You’re not guaranteed every game,” he said. “You slack, and you never know when your last game will be.”
The Titans will take part in their second scrimmage of the season when they face Bishop Guertin at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Stellos Stadium.
If you saw the playoff game video, Gathright was highly visible and cheering his team mates on. He did not ever sulk or feel sorry for himself. His character and leadership will serve him well in the future. Go Titans!