88th DREAM GAME: Valley View's Rebar let nothing stand in his way in senior year
Jul. 17—BLAKELY — Jordan Rebar is thankful for every opportunity he gets to play the sport he loves.
In January 2021, Rebar needed compartment syndrome surgery. Through months of intense rehabilitation and an unmatched determination, the Valley View linebacker had a triumphant return for his senior season.
Not missing a beat, Rebar played with intensity and helped lead Valley View to a District 2 Class 4A championship.
On Wednesday night, he will play for the final time at his home field at John Henzes/Veterans Memorial Stadium as a member of the County all-star team that faces the City stars in the 88th Scranton Lions Club Dream Game.
"This is really special," Rebar, 18, said. "To be able to share the field with my Valley View teammates one last time and with these kids who are my new teammates is really outstanding."
As a junior, Rebar had a productive season with 10 tackles in the shortened schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic. His best game came against Scranton Prep when he had four stops.
In the offseason, he had surgery on the muscles in his legs. It involved cutting open the inflexible tissue encasing of the affected muscle compartments to relieve pressure.
But nothing was going to stand in the way of him playing as a senior with a quality group of returning starters.
"The surgery was very successful," Rebar said. "The doctors were outstanding. They got me back as soon as they could."
Valley View stormed to nine straight wins in the regular season despite facing adversity with the loss of starting quarterback Adam Howanitz to a torn ACL.
Rebar had a solid season. The 5-9, 160 pounder collected 85 tackles, including 42 solo. He had a season-high 10 in a win over Crestwood and had seven against North Pocono in the District 2 Class 4A final and six against Bishop Shanahan in the PIAA quarterfinals.
He also had an interception, two passes defended, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles, and earned a spot on the Lackawanna Football Conference Division II Coaches all-star defensive team.
"My senior class started playing together, I think when we were 5 years old," Rebar said. "Every day we grew closer and closer. Last year, with all of the adversity we faced, we really came together as one wanting to win a championship. And we got it.
"Every time I played, I gave everything I had."
This week, at County practice, Rebar is active as both a linebacker and a wide receiver.
"He is a blue-collar player," said Delaware Valley coach Keith Olsommer, who will lead the County stars. "That is for sure. You can see why Valley View was so good last year. He has those leadership qualities you need to have a championship season."
Contact the writer: jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9125; @sportsTT on Twitter
