The whistle blows and those on the sideline take a knee. People from both teams wait in anticipation as one of Lakeland’s players, Nate Bevacqua lies on the ground waiting for medical assistance.
Bevacqua suffered from a compression fracture that just nearly missed his spinal cord. Thankfully, he is okay and will make a full recovery, but this dangerous injury took him out for the season.
“It was scary laying on the ground, not knowing if my football and baseball career would continue after that, it just made me realize how fast things can change, and it made me really appreciate my sports and not take things for granted,” Bevacqua said.
While on kickoff, Nate was running down the field and was in the perfect position to make a huge play. He had the speed and ability to hit the receiver hard enough to take him out for a couple of plays. Instead, Nate made a crucial mistake and dropped his head so that it was perpendicular to the receiver’s chest, which resulted in his injury.
“I believe that my injury is a blessing in disguise,” Bevacqua said. “We take a lot for granted, and it made me see that I am very gifted. It has made me appreciate the little things in life and be appreciative of everything.”
The accident had many worried. His family and friends stood strong, supporting him all the way.
“My mom and dad were obviously very scared but they were also very strong and they knew that everything was going to be alright. And the power of prayer really helped,” Bevacqua said.
“I was just worried for him and hoped that he makes a full recovery for baseball,” Brodie Weitz said.
Bevacqua is a freshman at Lakeland High School and plays football and baseball.
After his recent injury, he is working on regaining his strength so he can get back to his sports as soon as possible.
“I’ve been limited on what I can do, I can’t lift or do any activity. It has really limited what I can do for preseason football, but I’ve been working on a lot of grip strength,” Bevacqua said.
Bevacqua is committed to his athletics and is plans coming back stronger than ever.
He began playing football at a young age, going as far back as he can remember. It took over his life in the best way possible.
“I have played football since kindergarten, so about 10 years,” Bevacqua said, “There’s a lot I love about football, I enjoy the grind, but my favorite part is doing great and making big plays.”
Along with the exhilaration of the sport, there are many connections that football has provided him with.
“I love hanging out with him after the games, he’s always great to take pictures with and pose up with,” Bevacqua’s teammate Hayden Benson said.
In his childhood he spent most of his time outdoors. He would do whatever he could to get his friends to come outside and play around for hours on end, whether it be just fooling around or playing sports like football or baseball.
“I have done sports for most of my life, it took up a lot of my childhood, I never got into video games and always wanted to hang out with my friends and do stuff outside,” Bevacqua said.
Bevacqua is strong-willed and determined.
“I think he is like any other teenage boy who can push buttons but is good sometimes and difficult during others,” his mother Colleen Bevacqua said.
In the future, Nate plans on being a pro athlete, but he wants to start small. He wants to focus on himself during high school and perfect what he can at the moment.
After that, he would like to go to a D1 college and play either football or baseball for whatever college he wants. Then hopefully he will one day make it to the big leagues and play in the NFL or MLB.
“I 100% support his dreams and goals and I want him to be as successful as possible. Al and I are just trying to support him as well as we can while maintaining high expectations for him. When it comes to athletics he is very self-motivated and sometimes we even have to tell him to take breaks because if he had it his way he would play sports 24-7,” Mrs. Bevacqua said.
