Written By: Colin Capouch
On September 25th, the Lions Middle School Football Team played an away game against St. Thomas Academy (STA). During the game, Providence Academy 7th grader Anders Nycholat suffered a serious injury. Needing an ambulance, he was quickly rushed to the hospital where it was discovered that he dislocated his hip and had torn his labrum. While Nycholat lay hurt, players from both teams gathered together and prayed for him.
Later that night, the coaching staff from St. Thomas Academy reached out to Providence’s Athletic Director, Daren Messmore, to check in on how Nycholat was doing. The following week, the STA head coach emailed saying that his team had put together a gift basket for Nycholat. On top of all this, the team had purchased him a new Xbox.
Hoping to surprise Nycholat, the St. Thomas Academy football team showed up to Providence Academy to present him with the gift basket, which Nycholat graciously accepted.
“St. Thomas were opponents and obviously we were trying to beat them, but they are all really good people,” Nycholat commented.
Unfortunately, Nycholat will have to miss the upcoming hockey season due to his injury. However, he has the right attitude to overcome this setback.
“Being away from sports, like hockey, has been tough, but it will just give me more dedication to sports and school. It’s still good to be around the team, and they encourage and support me. My friends have been there for me,” he said.