Athletes, Abby Reisz and Garrett Junk, share their stories of injury and success through their fall sports.
BY MOLLY MITCHELL, ’20
SOPHOMORE ABBY REISZ
One second she’s jumping towards the ball with her head and the next she’s on the ground with serious pain in her ankle. Sophomore Abby Reisz has been playing soccer since she was 5. The athlete, committed to play Division 1 soccer at the University of Tennessee, started her 2019 season with a severe ankle sprain disabling her for four to six weeks.
In the team’s Aug. 27 game against Westerville North, Reisz doesn’t recall whether she was pushed by an opponent, but she remembers falling and landing sideways on her ankle. With a genuine passion for the sport, any time off the field can feel like an eternity.
“It is really hard because, obviously, soccer is what I love to do, and it’s hard to not be able to do what you love,” Reisz said.
Reisz made and started for UAHS’ varsity team her freshman year. She credits the girls soccer program for an easy transition into the high school.
“The culture of the girl’s soccer program is amazing,” Reisz said. “All of the girls from last year and this year have made my high school experience really, really good.”
Although Reisz is a forward for the Golden Bears, she is committed to the goalkeeper position at Tennessee. She also plays goalkeeper for her club team, Ohio Premier, and was named to the Best XI Team at a National Training Camp for her goalie skills this past summer.
“I am a goalie. That’s something that some people [from school] might not know,” Reisz said.
Surrounded by teammates her whole life, Reisz said her favorite thing to do outside of soccer is to strengthen friendships with school friends and soccer friends.
“I obviously spend a lot of my time playing soccer… I love to get lunch with my teammates,” Reisz said.
JUNIOR GARRETT JUNK
Junior Garrett Junk checks his phone on the morning of Aug. 28 when notifications from Instagram and Twitter spam his phone’s lock screen.
“[I] realized I was featured on the Hudl Instagram and Twitter,” Junk said. “I was very surprised and very happy [because] it just gets my name out there.”
Hudl is a website and company that assists players, coaches and recruitment officials in organizing and showcasing videos and player stats. Their social media platforms highlight featured players and clips of unique plays. Junk’s 74-yard punt in a pre-season scrimmage against Huber Heights made the company’s cut and was posted to Hudl’s 300,000 Twitter followers promoting Junk’s ability.
Junk took over as the varsity team’s starting punter this year after former punter Ben Krimm graduated in May. Working with the new football coaching staff, Junk has put in extra work to prepare for this season.
“I worked a lot this off season because I had to fill Krimm’s position. [He has] big shoes to fill,” Junk said. Krimm currently plays for the University of Pennsylvania and received 5-star status from Kohl’s Kicking, the largest stage in America for punters, his senior year at UAHS.
Junk has an excited attitude about the season and the team’s new coaching staff. The new special teams coach Drew Basil is a former kicker from Ohio State and works closely with Junk.
“[Basil] has gotten me a lot better and will continue to work with me,” Junk said. “The other coaches also make an unbelievable difference. I am very happy [with them].”
In addition to the coaching staff, his teammates are what excites him for the season.
“I love being around those guys all day. It is going to be fun to win some games with them,” Junk said.