For Wyomissing's Evan Niedrowski, a football injury means another lost track and field season

Apr. 10—Evan Niedrowski wasn't all that worried at first. He thought it was nothing.

Wyomissing's fullback rushed through the hole during practice before the first football game. He tripped over a lineman and hit the ground.

"I heard the two loudest pops of my life," Niedrowski said. "I had that dead feeling. I stood up and I couldn't move my arm for a solid 15 minutes. I took a play off and went back in."

The senior didn't realize his high school track and field career ended on that play. Those pops were a torn labrum in his right shoulder. His throwing shoulder.

Niedrowski, a state champion in the javelin, had surgery last month. He's out for the season.

Gone is the chance to wear another gold meal. Gone is a place in the Berks County record book that once seemed certain.

"It's something you love so much and it's just taken from you," Niedrowski said. "You have to wait. You have to build that patience up. It's a long process to rebuild that shoulder."

Niedrowski returned to track practice last week. He was at Flannery Field during a picturesque afternoon when the rest of Wyomissing's throwers took their turns.

As he stood some 20 yards away with a brace on his arm, one discus after another spun through the air and landed with a gentle thud. Niedrowski is happy to watch his friends compete and has tried to turn his mind off to what could have been.

"I got most of those grievances out of the way in the beginning," he said. "I started to come back to reality and realize everything will be fine. At least I'll still be here with the throwers and help coach them. It won't be the same as throwing alongside them. At least I'll be out here."

The injury didn't slow Niedrowski during the football season. Nitro, as he's called, rushed for 628 yards and 11 touchdowns while also playing linebacker. He helped the Spartans reach the state final in Class 3A.

Ty Smith, Wyomissing's throws coach and Niedrowski's stepfather, didn't recognize the severity of the injury in the fall.

"That's the amazing thing," Smith said. "He never showed any signs of pain, any signs of anything. He was playing at such a high level we thought it was fine."

Niedrowski underwent an MRI in January and discovered the tear. He initially tried to salvage his track season. He went through physical therapy in February and March. He tried to throw once and the pain was too much. Surgery became the only option.

The Monmouth recruit will be in the brace for another 3-4 weeks followed by three months of light throwing. He said he hopes to return to competition in 7-8 months.

Niedrowski was a virtual lock to break Ethan Shalaway's Berks record of 208-8 set in 2013. He would have done it as a junior if the season wasn't canceled by COVID-19.

At an impromptu event over the summer, Niedrowski reached 211-3.5. That was after a four-hour car trip with no prep time.

When he won state gold as a sophomore, it looked like the prologue to years of dominance. That turned out to be his final PIAA meet.

"We're walking away from Shippensburg that weekend and I can't wait for the next two years," Smith said. "He was going to be a three-time state champion. He got his one. No one can take that away from him."

That's the small consolation. That and the fact Niedrowski crossed the magical 200-foot threshold.

"But I wanted so much more," he said. "I feel like I could have blown everything out of the water this year."

The goal was 230 feet. That's an out-of-this-world number for most throwers but it was within reach for Wyomissing's star.

If he'd surpassed Shalaway, Niedrowski's name would have been listed next to his dad, Jeff, who owns the county record with the old javelin specifications. They could have shared a one-of-a-kind distinction.

"It's definitely disappointing," Niedrowski said. "Life goes on. You have bigger and better goals in the future. I won't be in the paper in the county records with my dad. That's the way it is. You can't go back and change it. You just have to deal with it."

History will never fully capture Niedrowski's greatness. That's left to the minds of those who watched him and follow Berks track closely.

Smith said he believes Niedrowski is the greatest thrower to pass through Berks and a strong case can be made. He eclipsed 200 in the javelin, reached 163-1 in the discus and 52-4.25 in the shot put despite missing his last two years.

What's next is a long rehab before he begins anew in college.

For an athlete who posted videos of his throws when the season was stopped because of the pandemic, it'll be an interminable wait.

"I love throwing with a passion," Niedrowski said. "It's so satisfying to watch that stick fly through the air and give that little wiggle. I'd give anything to come back and throw my senior year. Unfortunately, it won't be like that."

One day Niedrowski will get the chance to compete again. He'll see how far he can make it fly.