Have a story you want to share? Email me at [email protected].

By Joanna Chadwick

Maize senior Savannah Horn cried when she realized her junior soccer season was likely over following an injury in April 2019. Sure enough, she had torn the ACL in her right knee, partially tearing her MCL.

But the cancellation of her senior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t bring tears. It brought anger.

“I think I was mostly angry at the fact that we can’t control it,” she said on March 18. “It’s a whole pandemic. Us teenage kids, we can’t fix anything, but we’re punished for what’s going on. It’s really upsetting.

“It made me angry. A lot of us girls, we contacted each other, texting back and forth about how sad we were about it happening. We were so excited about the season.”

Horn, who has played junior varsity and varsity at Maize, tore her ACL last year.

“I had my right leg planted down,” Horn said while recalling the injury. “They came up behind me and kicked my right leg out from the side. It snapped and I fell down. I knew it hurt, and it was really locked up and very stiff. It took me a while to get up off the ground.”

When she got to the bench, she was asked if she could play. She couldn’t walk, couldn’t straighten her leg.

“I just sat there and cried. I wasn’t able to play. I was really looking forward to playing,” she said.

She made it through nine months of rehab, focused on getting ready for her last season at Maize.

It was an accomplishment to make it that far. But Horn wanted more.

She won’t get it.

“It’s really disappointing,” Horn said. “I think when I first heard the news that the schools were shutting down, I was really shocked and confused. I was really looking forward to the season, had a great group of girls coming out. I was excited to come back and play with all of them.”