CenTexSports
05-18-2006, 09:12 AM
It's in Mississippi but it is still a 3a team. I must be getting older and softer because this story made my eyes water.
Miracle of Water Valley not lost in loss
By Rick Cleveland
PEARL — So many tears had been shed. Many consoling embraces had been shared. And now the Water Valley baseball players were slowly exiting their Trustmark Park dugout following a 6-4 state championship defeat to Newton County Wednesday.
A couple hundred Blue Devils fans stayed around and cheered each player and coach as he trudged out of the dugout and up the aisle through the grandstand.
One of the last players to leave was18-year-old Jason Langdon, No. 2 in the game program, and without question No. 1 in the hearts of Water Valley fans.
Langdon, dressed in shorts, a blue Water Valley T-shirt and his baseball cap, slowly made his way up the stands with a slight limp, as the cheering grew louder. A stranger might have wondered what all the commotion was about.
Only a miracle, Water Valley fans would answer. Only a walking, talking miracle.
GRIM DIAGNOSIS
Flash back to Sept. 23, 2005, and the Water Valley-Senatobia football game. Senatobia has the football and Langdon, a Water Valley safety, is staggering off the field, his right leg buckling.
"We still don't really know what happened," Anita Langdon, Jason's mother, says. "Everybody's looked at the tape and there's a play where he goes up to block a pass and comes down on his rear end and then falls backward and hits his head. But it doesn't look that bad. He stayed in there for a play after that."
Whether it happened that play or not what we know is this: Jason Langdon's carotid artery in his neck was torn, resulting in a massive stroke. On the sidelines, Langdon was unresponsive to the team doctor. He was rushed to a hospital in Senatobia and, from there, flown by helicopter to The Med in Memphis.
"The first thing the doctors told us was there was no hope, no hope at all," Anita Langdon said.
Neurosurgeons operated twice in the first 72 hours. The first was to remove part of his skull to relieve pressure and to give his brain room to swell. The second operation was to remove the parts of the brain that had been destroyed by the stroke.
"Doctors told us they had removed the parts of the brain that control language skills and the part that controls the right side of his body," Anita Langdon continues. "We weren't give much hope that he would be able to read or talk or walk."
Jason Langdon never knew any of this was happening. He has no memory of the football game, the injury or the hospitals in Senatobia or Memphis. His first memories are from when he was moved to an Atlanta hospital to begin an uncertain rehabilitation process.
"We didn't know what, if anything, he could get back," Anita Langdon says.
LANGDON SPECIAL
Jason Langdon was a decent football player who played because his friends did. He was, Water Valley coach Doug Robbins says, "a special baseball player, far and away our best."
As a junior, Langdon played shortstop, pitched and hit .440 with nine home runs and 40 RBIs.
"Coach (Ron) Polk was real high on him at State," Robbins says. "He was going to play college baseball and he was going to help somebody."
But, Robbins says, baseball is only part of what makes Langdon special.
"Everybody calls him Sunshine because he's always got a smile on his face, no matter what," Robbins says. "I'll put it to you this way. If the term All-American kid was in the dictionary, they could just put a picture of Jason in there and that would be all you need. He not only smiles, he makes the people around him smile. How good is that? He makes the people around him better."
Here's one specific instance of that. Tripp Edwards, a Water Valley outfielder, has been one of Jason Langdon's best friends since the two went to the same pre-school daycare together. Langdon's injury hit everyone at Water Valley High hard, but it might have hit Edwards the hardest.
In fact, Edwards went to Doug Robbins, his coach, and told him he was going to give up baseball. If his buddy Jason couldn't play, he didn't want to play either.
Robbins told Edwards that he understood where he was coming from and that whatever decision he made it would not affect their relationship.
"But I also told him he might want to talk to Jason about it first," Robbins says.
So Trip Edwards went to talk to his friend and when he told him what he was considering, Jason just turned his back to him and said nothing.
"Wouldn't even talk to him he was so mad," Robbins said, smiling. "I think he made his point."
Says Edwards, smiling, "I never would have considered quitting if I'd have known Jason was going to be around. I had no idea he would be in this good of shape. Nobody thought he would be able to do all he has done."
Jason Langdon walks with a limp. He shakes your right hand with his left. He talks, haltingly, but his speech continues to steadily improve.
"His brain is having to relearn how to do almost everything, but by the grace of God, he just keeps improving," Anita Langdon says. "He's come a long way and he's still got a long ways to go."
Jason still goes to therapy three times a week.
"You're not going to believe this, but he got out there and took batting practice with us the other day," Robbins says. "He just used his left arm but he kept that chin tucked under his shoulder just the way you're supposed to. Best one-armed swing you ever saw. He didn't miss a single pitch."
Yes, and Jason Langdon will walk across the stage at Water Valley's graduation ceremonies tonight.
He will throw out the first pitch on the opening night of Water Valley's youth baseball league next week.
Water Valley might not have won a state championship, but Jason Langdon's future grows brighter seemingly with each day.
Miracle of Water Valley not lost in loss
By Rick Cleveland
PEARL — So many tears had been shed. Many consoling embraces had been shared. And now the Water Valley baseball players were slowly exiting their Trustmark Park dugout following a 6-4 state championship defeat to Newton County Wednesday.
A couple hundred Blue Devils fans stayed around and cheered each player and coach as he trudged out of the dugout and up the aisle through the grandstand.
One of the last players to leave was18-year-old Jason Langdon, No. 2 in the game program, and without question No. 1 in the hearts of Water Valley fans.
Langdon, dressed in shorts, a blue Water Valley T-shirt and his baseball cap, slowly made his way up the stands with a slight limp, as the cheering grew louder. A stranger might have wondered what all the commotion was about.
Only a miracle, Water Valley fans would answer. Only a walking, talking miracle.
GRIM DIAGNOSIS
Flash back to Sept. 23, 2005, and the Water Valley-Senatobia football game. Senatobia has the football and Langdon, a Water Valley safety, is staggering off the field, his right leg buckling.
"We still don't really know what happened," Anita Langdon, Jason's mother, says. "Everybody's looked at the tape and there's a play where he goes up to block a pass and comes down on his rear end and then falls backward and hits his head. But it doesn't look that bad. He stayed in there for a play after that."
Whether it happened that play or not what we know is this: Jason Langdon's carotid artery in his neck was torn, resulting in a massive stroke. On the sidelines, Langdon was unresponsive to the team doctor. He was rushed to a hospital in Senatobia and, from there, flown by helicopter to The Med in Memphis.
"The first thing the doctors told us was there was no hope, no hope at all," Anita Langdon said.
Neurosurgeons operated twice in the first 72 hours. The first was to remove part of his skull to relieve pressure and to give his brain room to swell. The second operation was to remove the parts of the brain that had been destroyed by the stroke.
"Doctors told us they had removed the parts of the brain that control language skills and the part that controls the right side of his body," Anita Langdon continues. "We weren't give much hope that he would be able to read or talk or walk."
Jason Langdon never knew any of this was happening. He has no memory of the football game, the injury or the hospitals in Senatobia or Memphis. His first memories are from when he was moved to an Atlanta hospital to begin an uncertain rehabilitation process.
"We didn't know what, if anything, he could get back," Anita Langdon says.
LANGDON SPECIAL
Jason Langdon was a decent football player who played because his friends did. He was, Water Valley coach Doug Robbins says, "a special baseball player, far and away our best."
As a junior, Langdon played shortstop, pitched and hit .440 with nine home runs and 40 RBIs.
"Coach (Ron) Polk was real high on him at State," Robbins says. "He was going to play college baseball and he was going to help somebody."
But, Robbins says, baseball is only part of what makes Langdon special.
"Everybody calls him Sunshine because he's always got a smile on his face, no matter what," Robbins says. "I'll put it to you this way. If the term All-American kid was in the dictionary, they could just put a picture of Jason in there and that would be all you need. He not only smiles, he makes the people around him smile. How good is that? He makes the people around him better."
Here's one specific instance of that. Tripp Edwards, a Water Valley outfielder, has been one of Jason Langdon's best friends since the two went to the same pre-school daycare together. Langdon's injury hit everyone at Water Valley High hard, but it might have hit Edwards the hardest.
In fact, Edwards went to Doug Robbins, his coach, and told him he was going to give up baseball. If his buddy Jason couldn't play, he didn't want to play either.
Robbins told Edwards that he understood where he was coming from and that whatever decision he made it would not affect their relationship.
"But I also told him he might want to talk to Jason about it first," Robbins says.
So Trip Edwards went to talk to his friend and when he told him what he was considering, Jason just turned his back to him and said nothing.
"Wouldn't even talk to him he was so mad," Robbins said, smiling. "I think he made his point."
Says Edwards, smiling, "I never would have considered quitting if I'd have known Jason was going to be around. I had no idea he would be in this good of shape. Nobody thought he would be able to do all he has done."
Jason Langdon walks with a limp. He shakes your right hand with his left. He talks, haltingly, but his speech continues to steadily improve.
"His brain is having to relearn how to do almost everything, but by the grace of God, he just keeps improving," Anita Langdon says. "He's come a long way and he's still got a long ways to go."
Jason still goes to therapy three times a week.
"You're not going to believe this, but he got out there and took batting practice with us the other day," Robbins says. "He just used his left arm but he kept that chin tucked under his shoulder just the way you're supposed to. Best one-armed swing you ever saw. He didn't miss a single pitch."
Yes, and Jason Langdon will walk across the stage at Water Valley's graduation ceremonies tonight.
He will throw out the first pitch on the opening night of Water Valley's youth baseball league next week.
Water Valley might not have won a state championship, but Jason Langdon's future grows brighter seemingly with each day.