Carencro quarterback Chantz Ceaser’s junior year ended with pain.
On Oct. 22, 2021, against Brother Martin, the signal-caller tore his ACL, LCL, and dislocated his right knee. Ceaser had to be carried off the field on a stretcher.
“When I was on the ground, I told my coach wow I can’t play anymore,” Ceaser said. “It was a bad thing that happened to me.”
“We’ve known each other for a while,” senior linebacker Ethan Guidry said. “It was hard to see him carried off on a stretcher.”
Ceaser finished just short of 2,000 passing and rushing yards combined and watched the Bears finish the season 1-4.
“I couldn’t control it,” Ceaser said. “It’s not that it was the end of the world. I knew I would be able to heal and be back. Once they said nine months, I knew I would be back for the season.”
One of Ceaser’s roots for inspiration came from a former teammate.
Running back Traylon ‘Popcorn’ Prejean tore his ACL after playing just four games in 2019 but returned to lead the Bears in rushing in 2020 on the way to a state title.
“He told me that I could have a season just like him,” Ceaser said. “I could bounce back and be better than I was my junior year.”
Instead of falling into a slump, Ceaser grabbed his shovel and got to work.
Through his rehab, Ceaser continued to show up for workouts and though he couldn’t fully be a part of the sessions, his voice as a leader influenced his team to raise its intensity.
“Mentally, he’s been really sharp,” Bears head coach Tony Courville said. “When we would do 7-on-7, he would be behind everybody making checks and calls.”
“I’ve never really understood the meaning of showing up,” Ceaser said. “It influences your teammates to show up too.”
Ceaser hopes that a great senior campaign leads him to the next level but in the meantime, his desire is to encourage someone else.
“It’s not the end of the world when you get hurt,” Caesar said. “You have a chance of coming back and being better.”
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