Wilson Droge returns from injury to key role in best West Central start in 'a long time'

More than one time up the floor, West Central forward Wilson Droge heaved. It was after Christmas — Droge’s first practice back from an ankle injury in the Trojans’ homecoming football game that kept him out the first four games of the season. All of it was awful. But this drill, in particular, was the worst.

West Central ran the same transition drill with continuous trips up the court for three minutes straight. That’s how they play, they weren’t going to slow down for Droge’s sake.

There’s usually no sitting in practice, players aren’t even allowed to place their hands on their heads. Yet when Droge collapsed to the floor, the West Central coaches let him have his rest. He was light-headed, nauseous. He knew he’d have to work his way back, but he still wondered: Was it worth it?

“I've kind of been struggling mentally… I used to be able to do all these things,” Droge said. “And it's just hard to get back.”

Saturday, though, Droge finally felt some of his old self return. He scored 21 points in the West Central’s (7-3) 68-53 win over Clark/Willow Lake Saturday in the Hanson boys basketball Classic at the Corn Palace, finally seeing some of the athleticism and conditioning he’s long been used to returning in a game setting. His return to form comes at a time when the Trojans are in the midst of their best start “in a while,” West Central head coach Jacob Sittig said. And Droge’s availability is another example of the dangers that lie within the depth of the Trojans roster, making them a legitimate contender for a Class A state title.

“Just means another guy that (opposing teams) have to worry about,” Sittig said. “When you just have a bunch of versatile players, it just makes you really hard to guard.”

Droge said he didn’t regret playing football at all. It was his first year going out for the team and during the Trojans’ homecoming game, he ran a fly and twisted his right ankle on a defenders foot. He heard a pop. He limped to West Central’s trainer, Chad Morrison, on the sideline.

“Chad,” he said. “Something’s wrong.

He sat out the remainder of the game, but they thought it might have been just a sprain. Though he limped around the rest of the weekend and his parents just wanted to check to make sure.

He and his Dad went to the doctor the next day to get X-rays. It was morning and Droge grabbed a protein shake. After the X-rays, Droge’s doctor came into the room.

“What did you eat today?” the doctor asked.

“Just a protein shake,” Droge replied.

“Okay,” the doctor said, “You have surgery later.”

Droge was stunned, but ultimately, grateful. His surgeon was set to go away for 10 days, which would have delayed his recovery. He went under anesthesia at 4 p.m. and woke from surgery at 8 p.m. He had a cast all up his leg and used a scooter to get around from then on.

When it came time to start physical therapy, he went in one morning around 8:45 a.m. He did five sets of 10 weighted calf raises with his right leg and then quickly switched over to an assault bike for 15 calories (about 60 seconds of pedaling). He hadn’t walked in over a month at that point, and he felt it.

He made it to school later that day, but walking the hallways, felt like he needed to throw up. Jody Driscoll, an administrative assistant at West Central high school, noticed him struggling and offered him a coke and some crackers until his stomach calmed down.

All this was hard for Droge. He’d never felt like this before. When he returned to practice, it only worsened. He dreaded going. He felt like he wasn’t making any progress. After one particularly bad one, Sittig pulled him to the side.

“Wilson, you may not be seeing the results,” Sittig said, “but I see it everyday."

The encouragement from his teammates, coaches helped Droge through it. The practices never got easier, but even when he was exhausted, he still forced himself into drills.

“I don't want to not be in shape the whole season,” Droge said. “So you just have to get over that little hump.”

Two weeks in, he wasn’t subbing himself out as much during practices. And the progression started to feed into the Trojans’ games.

Saturday might have been the first time Droge felt his lungs all the way back, he said. But towards the end of the game, it still caught up to him. West Central led by nine at that point and was trying to stave off a recent surge by Clark/Willow Lake that made a game that rarely seemed close one the Trojans could be in danger of losing control of.

West Central needed a bucket, and Droge drove in hard but slowed, sensing the defender stepping into his pathway. He switched the ball to his right hand, threw the ball off the glass and the whistle blew. The shot fell.

Droge could hardly react after the and-1. He walked over and found his spot on the free-throw line. He put his hands on his hips and took three big gasps of air. West Central called a timeout and, at the end of his best game of the season, allowed him a moment to sit.

"(The athleticism and conditioning is) certain to come back," Droge said. "Hopefully, it's just uphill from here."

Follow Sioux Falls Argus Leader reporter Michael McCleary on Twitter @mikejmccleary.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Droge returns from injury in best West Central start in 'a long time'