By Matt Brown - The Blue Wave football has fired out to a 4-0 start with a recent victory over the Danbury Hatters. Despite the final score, the game brought more good news to Blue Wave faithful. Although junior Henry Baldwin has had little issues completing passes and putting points on the board, he now has a loveable target returning.
Senior Clay Barker was a a top performer for the Blue Wave as a junior. He boasted an impressive stat line as a key part of the 2010 team’s offensive attack. He had a team leading 5 touchdowns accompanied by an impressive 22 receptions that went for 429 yards. After such a dominant junior season, Barker broadcast himself as one of the best receivers in the FCIAC. The expectations for his final season were sky high.
Unfortunately, Barker’s outlook took a turn for the worse. During lacrosse season, he suffered a torn ACL. The idea of him returning to football at all was in question. The injury took place around three and a half months ago. The majority of the athlete population would still be sidelines. However, three months and two weeks after surgery on the knee Barker is back on the field for the Blue Wave.
This past week against Danbury, Clay was eased into things. He started the game, but certainly did not get the amount of plays that he would have if completely healthy. “Yeah they are really easing me back into things, I would probably say I’m about 95, 98 percent right now” said Barker, he did not have a catch, but that is fairly unimportant.
The fact that Clay has fought rigorously through endless physical therapy to remain ahead of schedule shows a pure love for the game of football. Whether he contributed to the offensive attack right away or not, seeing big number 80 back on the field is definitely a positive sight for any Blue Wave supporter. Look for him to get healthier and healthier while beginning to contribute more and more as the season progresses.
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