It sucked.

That was the only way he could describe what he was feeling — everything just sucked.

It sucked not being able to play the game he’s loved since he was 5 years old. It sucked not being able to focus in class when he knew he could do better. It sucked watching his team from the sidelines, knowing he could have made a difference if he was on the field.

Defensive end Clay Lindmark sustained a concussion after a helmet-to-helmet collision with a teammate during a practice the Tuesday before the game against Coppell. He was sidelined for three weeks with the injury. He returned to play on Oct. 18 in the team’s game against Little Elm.

“I was out of it,” Clay said. “I didn’t have a particular feeling, but [a] feeling that sucked. That feeling that you can’t play against Coppell: a team that you know is [good] and know your team needs you. [I couldn’t play] against Marcus: our rivalry game, one of the biggest games I wanted to play all year. Knowing that, your heart drops.”

While Clay was out, the team lost two out of its three games. They lost the first district game against Coppell 49-14 and then to Guyer 35-10. The team won its Homecoming game against rivals Marcus 31-6.

“You notice his presence wasn’t there,” defensive coordinator Quincy Stewart said. “Clay is often vocal; his presence is felt because he speaks a lot, and he’s looked upon as a leader. As coaches, we [tried] to keep the morale up, but some players took notice that Clay was not available to play.”

In the first few days following a concussion, Clay’s doctors recommended complete brain rest with no social, physical or mental activity and no screens. Clay laid in bed and slept for two days straight.

“That was scary because he’s such a busy, energetic person,” Clay’s mother, Joey Lindmark said. “To see him basically in bed for two days was worrisome.”

Outside linebacker Luke Sharp said he and Clay have been friends since elementary school, growing up on the same street and playing on the same sports teams. Sharp said it was different playing without Clay, but that he still stepped up to motivate the team and lead from the sidelines.

“He did a good job of hiding [his struggles,]” Sharp said. “He doesn’t want people to know, and just tries to behave as his normal self, but immediately after [the concussion,] he was a little off.”

To be able to play again, Clay had to be cleared of concussion symptoms by his doctor, then undergo the state’s return to play policy — a five-day program to ensure an athlete remains symptom-free with light, moderate and aggressive exercises. Clay returned to play in the game against Little Elm, where the team won 49-0.

“We’re concerned [about him playing again,] but equally concerned if he’s not able to play,” Joey said. “He loves football. It’s hard playing any sport [with the] risk of having an injury like a concussion, but it’s also hard not playing a game that you love.”

In addition to being out of football, Clay said his concussion also impacted his ability to focus in class, making his grades drop. He is ranked within the top 2% of the class. Over the summer, he took three AP classes and read the Physics 1 textbook to skip the class and take Physics 2 this year.

“The only thing you can do is work hard,” Clay said. “[I] get home from football practice, do [my] homework and study. There’s not an easy way to do it. [But] what helps is finding guys around you who are in similar spots, that are smart and also play sports. Being around those guys helps [me] and motivates [me.]”

Clay said he plans to continue playing football in college and has athletic offers from Carnegie Mellon University and John Hopkins University, which both guarantee acceptance with football. He also has a football offer from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which does not guarantee acceptance. He said he wants to go into an engineering career because his dad works in petroleum engineering. While Clay said he wants to play football again, he also wants to be safe and stay healthy for his academic future.

“I’m ready to be back to normal,” Clay said. “During the concussion, I always felt off and my parents always told me I looked off. It’s not fun. I want to go back to normal, get my grades back to normal like they should be and play on Friday nights.”

This story was originally published on The Hawk Eye on October 24, 2024.