Hanover
Enneper donned his black No. 53 Hanover jersey for the rivalry game, yelling his heart out as Hanover’s undefeated season continued with a 34-8 victory over the Raiders. As Hanover celebrated on the field, Enneper found himself the center of attention. His teammates lined up to hug him, embrace him, tell him they did it for him.
Some were crying. All were emotional.
“That says it all,” Hanover head coach Sam Cavallaro said during Monday’s junior varsity game against Kingswood. “The guys love him.”
Enneper’s biggest regret this fall is not being part of Hanover football. If it was up to him, he’d be out there leading the defense and the offensive line the way he knows how — by example.
That possibility ended before preseason training during a seven-on-seven scrimmage against Woodstock.
“I was doing a seven-yard in route (a 90-degree change of direction parallel to the yard lines), and I planted and it just buckled under me,” Enneper said on Monday. “I was obviously out for the day, but I was walking on it on the sidelines. I had a doctor’s appointment the next day, and he said it was probably a sprain. I said, ‘OK, I’ll be back in two weeks and I’ll be ready for the season.’ But it didn’t get better.”
Enneper, who was selected as captain for the second straight season in a vote of his teammates, was diagnosed weeks later with a complete tear of his ACL, an injury that requires surgery followed by months of rehabilitation. Doctors said Enneper, who also plays basketball, would be able to return in 6 to 9 months, eliminating the possibility of taking the court this winter as well.
The initial shock took a while to get over.
“I was sad for a couple of weeks,” Enneper said. “But these guys are amazing. My friends have helped me up. My family, my coaches, everyone’s just been so supportive of me.”
The injury scared Cavallaro, who had allowed Enneper to play out of position as a running back for the seemingly harmless scrimmage. After a 40-tackle performance a year ago, Hanover’s coaching staff was banking on having Enneper in the trenches this year.
“He’s a leader and an unbelievable player,” Cavallaro said. “We were expecting 80-plus tackles out of him. I just kind of knew that it wasn’t going to be good. It wasn’t induced by a hit. I had a bad feeling. The coaches on the sideline were kind of holding our breath.”
Since then, Enneper has watched his Marauders outscore opponents, 258-84, en route to building a 7-0 record and clinching an NHIAA Division II playoff spot heading into Friday’s home game against Kennett. Enneper said his biggest adjustment, other than watching games from the sidelines, has been the change of leadership style.
Instead of leading by example, Enneper has had to use his words to teach.
“It’s definitely a huge motivator, because he’s the person who wants to be out here the most, by far,” Hanover senior running back Reed Winter said. “He’s a leader on the field, off the field. He’s just an unbelievable player. He would have been the leader of the O-line, the leader of the defense.”
Other teammates said the emotions after the game against Lebanon solidified the fact that the Marauders were playing for their injured captain.
“It was right after his surgery,” senior wide receiver Avery Monahan said,
“That was the first time we had seen him since the surgery, in the wheelchair,” senior wide receiver Sam Ives said. “Right before the Lebanon game. I think it was a really emotional time.”
Enneper spent some time Monday watching Hanover’s junior varsity before heading to the Marauders’ varsity practice. He’s on crutches now and said he has an appointment today to find out if he can begin walking without aid, helped by a regimen of leg lifts and hamstring exercises designed to rebuild strength in his knee. Enneper said he plans to try out for the boys lacrosse team in the spring to get in one more high school varsity sport before he graduates.
Until then, he’s taking things with a grain of salt and a positive attitude. Right now, his focus is on Hanover football. Even if he can’t be on the field making blocks or tackles, Enneper said he wants to fulfill his captaincy duties in any way he can.
“I’m still a part of the team,” Enneper said. “The silver lining is I get to see all the people who care for me. I’m thinking about studying physical therapy in college. I made my decision before (the injury), but now I get to see both sides of it.
“There is a silver lining. Everything happens for a reason.”
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.