> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Souhegan's Cordts reevaluates future after knee injuries - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/souhegans-cordts-reevaluates-future-after-knee-injuries/ - Published: 2011-03-07T05:17:17.000Z - Updated: 2011-03-07T05:17:17.000Z - Description: There have been times when Taylor Cordts has asked herself why. Why an otherwise healthy teenager, who has been an athlete all her life, was handed the cruel fate that she has. - Author: Joe Marchilena - Tags: Division III-IV, Winter Sports, Division II, girls basketball, Souhegan, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/bhsshsgbball1214-tcordts2.jpg "BHSSHSgbball1214 TCordts2") There have been times when Taylor Cordts has asked herself why. Why an otherwise healthy teenager, who has been an athlete all her life, was handed the cruel fate that she has. She asked in the fall of 2009, when as a junior, she tore the ACL in her left knee in the first soccer game of the Souhegan High School team’s season. She asked again during basketball season of that same school year, when, after rehabbing like crazy, the ligament gave out again. And she asked a third time, at the beginning of her senior basketball season, when for a third time, Cordts tore her ACL. Before the injuries, Cordts was a talented athlete who aspired to play basketball in college. Now, she not only won’t play at the next level, but perhaps ever again. “It’s just not fair for a teenager to have to go through something like that,” Souhegan girls basketball coach Jeremy Faulkner said. “She does not deserve it.” **The first time and rehab** Cordts began playing soccer as a way to stay in shape for what has always been her favorite sport, basketball. She had success at both early on in high school – she was on the varsity basketball team as a freshman and got called up to varsity in soccer midway through her sophomore year. The Sabers started Cordts’ junior year with a late-August game against Milford, a game that would end up being her last as a high school soccer player. “I got slide-tackled,” Cordts said of how she first injured the knee. “It was really hard at first, but my soccer coaches were great at trying to keep me involved last year. There were certain games that were really hard (to watch), like close games where you really want to play.” A month after the injury, Cordts, who is one of triplets, had surgery on her knee and started working on getting back in time for an important basketball season. The junior year of high school, and the AAU season that follows, is a time that many college coaches use to scout prospects, and Cordts dreamed of getting the chance to continue playing at the next level. After four months of rehab, she was cleared to return to basketball and made it back in time for Souhegan’s stretch run. “Nobody does that,” she said of coming back in four months. “But my doctor cleared me. My personality, if my doctor clears me, I’m not going to sit on the sidelines.” Both of her siblings – Seth and Lauren – weren’t surprised she was able to come back so quickly. “She deserved (to come back),” said Lauren, who also plays basketball at Souhegan. “She gave it her all because she wanted to get back on the floor. She always gives it her all.” Despite the speedy return, Taylor knew there was still some risk involved. “If you don’t strengthen (the knee) enough, it’s easier to get one, but normally, they say it’s easier to tear the ACL in your other leg than the same one,” she said. “I never had any injuries before this one.” **The second time** Taylor made it on to the basketball court as a junior, returning for about a month and getting to play in five games. The Sabers were having a successful season, and her return could have given them an edge they’d need in the playoffs. But then fate struck again. During a game against Bedford, Taylor was going in for a layup when an opposing player fouled her hard. “I was going in for a layup and the girl undercut me,” she said. “Twice in six months. That knocked out my AAU season, so that knocked out playing in college. I had to focus on rehabbing again.” No one could believe it had happened again. “I couldn’t believe it at first,” Seth, who is on the boys basketball team, said. “I thought it was a dream.” “I saw it and I cried,” Lauren said. “I was like ‘no, not again.’ Once was terrible but twice was like, you question why.” Again, Taylor did ask herself why. Suddenly the dream of playing basketball in college had been ripped away. “What did I do to deserve this?” Taylor said. “It’s taken a toll on me mentally. Endorphins make you happy and not having that has been upsetting. I lost a little motivation for a while, but I’ve had a lot of people supporting me.” While it has been tough at times for Taylor to get around, there have also been times when she’s been forgotten. “After her surgeries, some friends forget that she’s there and can still do stuff,” Lauren said. “It’s hard even off the basketball court. Me and her are like two peas in a pod. We have the same friends and activities. We’re together almost 24-7\. It was weird when this happened because she wasn’t always there. It was almost some confidence lost for me because I didn’t have my other half there.” Taylor once again faced rehab, but this time, there was no rush to come back. She even decided to sit out her senior soccer season, and remained with the team, watching the season from the sidelines. “(The coaches) started to teach me some coaching and other aspects,” she said. “I sat out all soccer season so I could keep rehabbing so I could get stronger for basketball.” **The third time** Faulkner has known Taylor for about five years, ever since he was a coach for her AAU basketball team. “She is one of the hardest workers that I have ever been around,” he said. “She will run through a wall for you if she has to.” During a practice early in the preseason, the team was running sprints in the Souhegan gym. When Taylor turned to change directions, her ACL tore for the third time. “To fight as hard as she and for such a little cut that she did to pop it out, I had tears in my eyes, knowing that it’s her senior year and she won’t be able to be a part of it on the floor,” Faulkner said. “It’s unheard of and for a kid like that, my heart goes out to her. I’ve never seen anything like it before and I hope I never have to see anything like it again.” Not many people have seen it happen. “One in a million,” Seth said. “She felt she was ready to go again and then it happened. It’s unimaginable how her life has changed so drastically.” Taylor had surgery one more time, and is hopeful that in a couple of weeks, she’ll be able to start swimming. And if all goes right, she’ll be able to run by the summer. “I’ve been on crutches for so long,” she said. “I didn’t want to be on crutches this summer. You kind of have to make jokes of it I guess and just deal with it. I can’t do anything about it, so I have to embrace it, I guess. I won’t be able to do competitive sports, but maybe leisurely. It’s kind of unknown right now.” What Taylor has learned is what she would like to study in college – physical therapy. “I’ve always been into sciences and medical stuff, but I never wanted to be a doctor,” she said. “I definitely feel like I would be playing in college. Now that I’m not, I’ve definitely had a lot more opportunities for bigger schools.” Taylor has stayed with the team all season, serving as a captain and helping the coaching staff, and learning a little bit from the bench. “She is a big part of this team and she really helps me out,” Faulkner said. “She sees a lot of things that I don’t see and brings it up.” Lauren is glad to have her sister still around and helping out. “She loves basketball, and even though she can’t play, she’s still supportive on the bench,” she said. “She gives us advice and I know I listen to her a lot. She tells me what to do. I think she’s definitely an inspiration.”