Comeback route
Ever since he was a little kid, Nathan loved football.
“I played football and it was on TV constantly,” Nathan’s father, Wayne Parnell, said. “It was always [a part of his life] as he grew up around it. Ever since he could walk, he has been catching footballs.”
Though he tried sports like tennis, track, soccer and basketball, Nathan said football always remained his favorite. He said football has a special place in his heart and he loves every aspect of the game.
“I love having a team that I can connect with,” Nathan said. “No matter what team I’m on, I’m always around people that I trust and that I’ll be friends with for a long time.”
The moment he hit the ground, Nathan knew something wasn’t right.
“I [thought,] I could just walk it off like I always do,” Nathan said. “But then I started to kind of play on [the leg] more, and I could barely walk. But I couldn’t show that, because I wanted to finish the game and try to play the next game too, so I played through it.”
Watching from the stands, Nathans parent’s knew something was off as soon as the injury occurred.
“I knew immediately that he was limping,” Wayne said. “But it could [have been] something small. A lot of times, he just walks it off. He kind of limped off the field, and the trainers took a look at him, and I could just see that he was fine, he was just walking around, walking it off. I saw [the trainers] working it out, and then he went back in.”
Because of his love for football, Nathan said that, even after the initial pain and injury, he knew he would do everything in his power to play through it.
“As soon as I hurt my leg, I was just like, OK, I’m not going to come out,’” Nathan said. “I got treated a little bit. I got ice on the sideline and about five minutes after I got hurt, it was time for offense again. I told the coaches that [my leg] was hurting, so I didn’t think they were going to throw the ball to me. I had a five yard route. I caught the ball, and just started making moves and ended up scoring a touchdown.”
After scoring one touchdown on a broken leg, Nathan would repeat the feat in the next game. Pushing through the injury and performing the way he did was confusing for his parents, who initially thought everything was going to be fine. Realizing how serious the injury was now, Ashely said it showed a lot about who Nathan is as a person.
“It really showed his determination,” Ashley said. “He doesn’t let something small hinder him. It shows that he’s a tough kid. Even though we didn’t know at the time, his leg was broken, but at least he ended [his season] on a high note.”
After playing his second game on a broken leg, Nathan decided it was time to go see a doctor. He had debated going at all, because he knew it would mean he would be out for a while.
“I always want to be on the field, no matter what,” Nathan said. “So it kind of sucked knowing that I probably wouldn’t be able to play for that whole year. I was expecting to be out for a couple weeks, maybe be able to play the last game or something. It made me realize how valuable time is and not to take it for granted.”
Nathan had a broken fibula, a bone in the lower part of his leg. He said the injury made him realize it was OK to take a break every once in a while. However, Wayne said he wished he had taken him to the doctor sooner, and that he regrets waiting so long.
“I felt horrible,” Wayne said. “Because, as a parent, [I’m] thinking, ‘Why didn’t I take him sooner to get [it] checked out?’ You’d think with the broken leg, you’re going to be crazy hurt, but it was that backbone — it wasn’t the support side of his leg. [The bone is] just there for support and structural integrity.”
After thinking he would be out for a couple of months, hearing the news that he would be out the whole season was devastating. Nathan’s parents said that, even though the news disappointed Nathan, it also appeared to motivate him to work his hardest to get back to the game he loved.
“At first we were concerned about how he was going to handle [the news] emotionally and mentally,” Ashley said. “Knowing he couldn’t play, I was worried about him. But he had such a good attitude. He was the one that put me at ease, because he said, ‘There’s nothing we can do about it. It’s just part of God’s plan, whatever that is.’ He had a good mentality about just practicing [and] doing everything he could to make the most of that time off.”
Nathan said the physical rehab and training process was tedious, and working back was a struggle. But with the help of those close to him, he was able to get through it.
“At the end of the day, [my family] could care less about football, but they knew how much it meant to me so they would help me out [all of the time,]” Nathan said. “[The team was] really helpful towards me [as well.] I’m always around the greatest guys in the locker room. I love every single one of them; they all helped me because they saw [how much the injury] affected me. I’m really grateful for all [of] my friends, my teammates [and] coaches; they really helped me push through.”
Nathan said everyone around him was always there for him and didn’t make this injury a big deal. Even though he was hurt, continuing to go to practices and be a part of a team environment was invaluable to his recovery process.
“I just think [the injury] helped me realize who all I really have around me,” Nathan said. “I didn’t realize that until this happened. Some people, nowadays, will forget who all is there for them, and they won’t ask for help. But when I thought about it, I realized if I need help, [everyone] is there for me.”
One thing Nathan started to do in order to keep himself focused and motivated was writing down his goals. He said the injury made him realize that his time on the field isn’t guaranteed, so he wrote down his goals — one of which was making varsity.
“After my injury, I just worked and worked,” Nathan said. “I did so much over the offseason, and I just wanted to be able to be on varsity and contribute.”
Nathan’s childhood best friend, Drew Koster, said that when he found out Nathan had made varsity, he was happy to have somebody that he was close with on the team. Drew said seeing how Nathan battled back to make varsity made him realize how the experience built on their relationship.
“Going through tough times and football, hard things like injuries, it makes our bond stronger,” Koster said. “He never got sad or anything, but I know he felt like that on the inside. I saw how he took that, and I [was able] to do the same thing [with my injury].”
Nathan is playing football again. He made his return taking part in the football team’s scrimmages against Wylie East and Duncanville, then returning to the field where he broke his leg at Dallas Jesuit for the season opener. Wayne said it was a bittersweet experience and brought back some unwanted memories.
“[Going back to Jesuit,] I remember that play where he just came down on it,” Wayne said. “But I feel like [the injury] is a forgotten memory. He’s healed now. We’re not thinking about it anymore; he gets his chance now [to] go out there and show what he can do.”
Junior year is a major year for college recruiting and is typically the time where colleges will start to show interest in athletes. Since he was out last year, Nathan said he is excited for and ready to show what he can do.
“I’m looking forward to ultimately proving myself and showing myself that just because I had an injury last year, it doesn’t have to stay with me my whole life,” Nathan said. “I know I’m not the biggest guy, but there’s a lot of people out there that aren’t the biggest either and that’s why they kind of doubt themselves. So if I can prove to myself that you don’t have to be the biggest guy, it just matters what [I] do with [my] mind and what [I] do on the field. That’s going to get me where I want to go in life.”