Like many youngsters right now, Greenbrier East soccer standout Will Godby is beaming with excitement for his senior year of high school.
This time last year however, Godby was unsure if he would even have a senior season on the pitch.
Truth be told, he was unsure if he would have a normal life going forward after an All-Terrain Vehicle accident nearly took his life and left him with severe injuries.
“I was spraying weeds in a cow field last year on Aug. 9,” Godby recalled. “The ATV stalled on me, so I got it started back up and reversed out of where I was. It stalled on me again and went free falling down the hill. I hopped out and it rolled over on me. I was pinned for like an hour.”
Godby described the time as the longest hour of his young life.
“It was very, very scary. I really didn’t think I was going to make it after awhile,” Godby admitted. ” I just kept yelling and screaming and no one really showed up.”
The pain was excruciating and Godby was concerned he might be left with lifelong injuries.
“At fist I had my head under the ATV and I was able to get my head out. My arm was pinned up, so I kept trying to dig my arm out and stuff like that,” Godby said. “The only thing I could feel because I had so much adrenaline going through me was my arm kept going numb. I was worried I was going to lose my arm.”
Fortunately a neighbor up the hill finally heard his pleas for help, but he was still unsure if help would arrive.
“She calls 911 a lot because she has dementia and hears things,” Godby said. “I was fortunate that they actually showed up. They saw me pinned and ran down to me.”
The news was not good when Godby arrived at the hospital.
“My left hip was out of socket. I broke my collarbone, two of my ribs and my right ankle,” Godby said. “One of my vertebrae was also messed up.”
Prior to the accident, Godby was set to enter his third season for the Greenbrier East boys soccer team.
After being a contributor on the state championship team as a sophomore, Godby was in line to have a big impact over his junior year.
“My first concern when I heard the news was, is he alive and will he have a life? We weren’t talking about soccer anymore,” head coach Lucas Lemine said. “He could have been a huge cog for our team last year.”
The road to recovery was far from easy. Roughly two months in a wheel chair and nearly four months of rehabilitation were all part of a six-month journey.
Eager to get back to action when he felt he was healthy, Godby suffered a setback during wrestling season.
“I came back to wrestling too early and I got hurt again in practice. I hurt my knee and I had to do more rehab,” Godby said. “Then I realized it wouldn’t be long until soccer season, so I had to take it more serious to rehab more and more. I wanted to be prepared.”
Lemine talked about Godby’s work ethic being a key to his return to soccer.
“He has always been that kid since he was tiny. He has always worked really hard at everything he has done,” Lemine said. “We get to the off-season and he doesn’t miss anything. He is here and it starts to become real that he is going to be back.”
Back in May, Godby walked onto the pitch for his first real action since the terrible accident. As anybody would be in that situation, there were some reservations.
“I was super excited, but I was also scared and worried I would get hurt,” Godby admitted. “It was a scrimmage against older people and I knew it would a test because they were big and physical. Plus, I hadn’t played in nine months. They knocked me around a little bit, but I stayed with them.”
Now Godby is ready to be the impact player he was slated to be this time last year.
“It feels like I am totally back and it is the best feeling. For about three or four months I felt like I would never be the same,” Godby said. “I am still not the same, but I feel like I am a better person now both mentally and physically.”
While his coach is most excited about him making a full recovery for his future years, Lemine is also excited to see him back in the Spartan uniform.
“Having him is big. I think he is comfortable and understanding the system in what we want to do,” Lemine said. “He is really taking advantage of the opportunity he now has in front of him. I think most kids would be scared with it being a contact sport and getting hurt again. Will is happy to be here. He is competitive and wants to play.”