St. Michael's player back with his 'brothers' after spinal injury

ROSWELL After a recent game against his teams arch rival, Devin Riebsomer absentmindedly smeared a trail of muddy debris across his white jersey as he spoke, a giant smile working in direct contradiction to the tears that meandered down his face.

An imposing figure at 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, the St.

Michaels junior is the living embodiment of just being happy to be here.

The feel of wearing football pads, of pulling on a helmet, of listening to the cadence of the quarterback and pumping the adrenaline through his system as the ball is snapped its as powerful to him as anything in his life.

To be standing here, thank God to so many people like Miss Val, my family, everyone who believed in me and didnt give up, Riebsomer said.

I spent weeks in my room doing push-ups, [mad] I wasnt able to be out here.

We went through all the steps, took our time and came back earlier than people probably thought, and now Im enjoying all of it.

Miss Val is St.

Michaels athletic trainer Valerie Mishos, and Riebsomers family includes his parents, Claire and Chad, as well as a fraternal twin brother who doesn't play football.

Like so many, they suffered through a torn ligament in Devins hand that cost him nearly all of his sophomore season, then the scary on-field incident that erased most of this year.

In August he went down with a compression fracture in his spine.

But it was a minor one, just a slight one, Devin Riebsomer said, trying his best to soften the shock of the words, spine and fracture being used in the same sentence.

"I know it sounds bad." It happened in the final practice of two-a-days, not long before he, the team's proverbial Energizer Bunny, was going to stake his claim to a spot on what has become one of the best teams in school history.

Told hed be out at least a year, it seemed his football days were numbered.

You know, some kids get hurt and thats it, you dont really see them that much, said Horsemen head coach Joey Fernandez.

Devin, this kid just wants to be here, you know? He loves the game, loves the team.

I wasnt sure if hed be back, and Im not going to put him out there until they tell me hes safe being out there, but this kid is tough.

I'm telling you, hes been through a lot.

After weeks of wrangling with doctors about getting him cleared Claire Riebsomer said it felt as though the family was doctor shopping to get the answers they wanted Riebsomer finally took the field prior to the Horsemens second-to-last regular season game Oct.

25 at Pojoaque Valley.

His minutes increased even more in the following weeks game at Robertson, a solid win that secured the top overall playoff seed for the still-undefeated Horsemen.

Hes just a nice energy to have around, hes always the most enthusiastic, explosive player on the field, said teammate Soren Annon.

Hes going to go 100%, full aggressive every single play.

Hes going to make it a goal to get out there and put somebody on his butt every play and, yeah, thats the kind of guy this team needs.

An interior lineman, Riebsomer only plays with one speed.

His mom laughs when talking about her sons personality, one that oozes enthusiasm from the moment he rolls out of bed every morning.

She and her husband are also acutely aware of whats a stake every time he takes the field.

A lot goes through your mind when you see him out there playing, but its just so important to him and that's what I try to think about, Claire Riebsomer said.

I think weve all had some anxiety over this but people helped a lot.

Miss Val did so much with the mental health side of things.

She always took the hands-on approach to getting him back out there.

Fernandez said the best way to deal with Riebsomer was to offer support and, when the time came, to unleash him like a wild animal looking for food.

If anyone on the team has bided his time long enough for a moment like that, its him.

His teammates agree.

Devins a dog; its amazing to play with him, said Horsemen linebacker Pete Johnson.

Every time I take the field with him I feel more confident, I feel like a better player because he works so hard to be out there.

It makes you want to try even harder.

I mean, he could have just quit and all that, but he put in the work, he stayed positive and, yeah, here he is.

If the dream is to someday play in college, the goal has always been to be a part of something special.

Riebsomer said it wasnt easy standing on the sidelines while his teammates won the Class 3A state championship last year without him.

I absolutely could not go through that again, no way, he said.

These guys, you probably hear this a lot, these guys are my brothers and Im not doing them any good if Im not out there with them.

All the things I saw last year with them winning state, I want all those things right now.

And with that, he used that same muddy, meaty paw to wipe away a streak of tears that spoke louder than any of his words.

I cant say this enough, Riebsomer said, glancing around as his teammates and the fans cleared Robertsons facility that night, but it feels so good to be standing here.

To think it might never happen and then get the chance to do it, it makes me thankful..

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