Jake Lamphere Overcomes The Odds

It’s quite rare for someone to tear their ACL  once in your lifetime. However, tearing it twice? That’s nearly unheard of. To come back to play quarterback for the football team during your senior year, after suffering these knee injuries, is unheard of.. That’s the high school career of Jake Lamphere.

It all started during Lamphere’s sophomore year, as he was playing on the Junior Varsity Boy’s Basketball team here at Weedsport. He tore his ACL in his left knee.

“[It happened when I was] landing wrong when I jumped up for a pass,”  said Lamphere. “I believed it was only bad luck.” Jake said he believed he was playing against Fabius Pompey at the time.

“I don’t know [the percentage]. I know it’s pretty low,” said football coach, Mr. Sgarlata, who is also a health teacher. “It’s unheard of [to happen twice].”

“I was pretty shocked, I didn’t know how bad an ACL tear was,” said senior Melvin Horsford, a teammate of Lamphere’s both during modified, and varsity. “It was a learning experience.”

Lamphere then went through rehab. He couldn’t play any spring sports because of the recovery time. He went on to join the varsity football squad his sophomore year, behind former quarterback Hunter Bowden (class of 2015). That year, the varsity team went 8-0, and took home the league title.

The next year, however, was when everything was like deja vu. On October 3, 2014, the Weedsport Warriors were facing the Cato-Meridian Blue Devils. In the first series that Bowden played, he was hit, and he heard some of the worst news – he tore his ACL, with no possible re-entry to the game.

“I didn’t know exactly what happened, I assumed he got a cramp or something minor, so I went in the game thinking I would only play a few plays before he would come back in,” said Lamphere. This put Lamphere in the game, when the score was 0 to 0. Then, as if everyone didn’t remember what happened just a short time ago, Lamphere was hit, and he was in shock – he tore his ACL again; however this time in his right knee.

The fans seemed to be shocked, not only to lose their starting quarterback, but their back-up as well. They started their “third string” quarterback (who they hadn’t even determined), Ryan Quigley, who was used to playing defense.

“We had to basically develop a third, fourth, and fifth string quarterback, in case Ryan got hurt,” said Sgarlata. Lamphere was once again sidelined for the season. He once again started rehab, and didn’t play basketball during the winter, but he was able to golf during the spring.

But Lamphere defied the odds. He was back leading the Warriors, as a senior captain in the 2015 football season. With an excellent 55-12 win over the Port Byron Panthers to start the season, Lamphere found his groove that would last the rest of the season.

“Finally being ready to return for my senior year was one of the best feelings in the world. It felt amazing to return to sports, especially football,” said Lamphere.

Lamphere faced an important foe in the middle of the season – the Cato-Meridian Blue Devils.

“When Cato week came, my motto was revenge and so was the team’s,” said Lamphere, who played against Cato on October 2. “I think we succeeded with a huge win, and I succeeded personally throwing for 230 yards and 4 touchdowns.”

Now that the season has concluded, Lamphere will be pushing through his final year of his high school career. Then he will be headed off to college.

“I know that I am attending college for a degree in engineering,” said Lamphere. “I do believe that I will play football if the opportunity presents itself at the school I decide is best for me in an educational sense.”

Lamphere is now trying out for the Weedsport Varsity Boys Basketball team, for the winter sports season.

“I predict that Weedsport will have a very strong team with the talent and a coach to have a chance at a sectional title, and I hope that I can be a part of that,” said Lamphere on the upcoming season.

Lamphere is a fantastic athlete and student, and he will most likely leave a legacy here at Weedsport. We wish Jake luck in the upcoming year, as well as when he leaves for college!