It wasn’t supposed to end this way.
Matt Kastner was supposed to be leading the Holy Trinity Academy Knight in tackles as an outside linebacker, not teaching them how to tackle as a coach.
The 17-year-old Kastner, the defensive player of the year in the Big Rock Conference in 2014, saw his high school football career come to an end when he blew out his right knee while playing spring football with the Calgary Midget Stampeders in April.
“All of the hard work seemed to pay off last year and my plans for the future changed — I started seeing football as an opportunity to play at the next level,” Kastner said.
Those plans were put on ice during the early parts of a spring game.
“My leg snapped and I tore every ligament and a few muscles — it was just the first play of the second defensive series,” Kastner said. “It was excruciating pain. I didn’t know what was going on.
“At first I couldn’t comprehend that I would miss my entire last year of high school football.”
Kastner went under the knife for seven hours and came out like something out of The Walking Dead. Parts from cadavers were used to reconstruct the knee.
However, his career from the Knights wasn’t quite dead yet.
Although he wouldn’t play, Knights head coach Matt Hassett quickly convinced Kastner to be an assistant coach. As well, Kastner was named one of the Knights’ captains.
“Matt is a special kid — he has the grades, the athletic ability he’s humble and he works hard,” Hassett said. “He’s been out here every day… Matt is doing everything he can to help the team even though he isn’t in uniform. He allows me to leave him with the linebackers sometimes so I can keep things on schedule.”
Kastner learned that when a Knight goes down, the others rally — even the ones from days of yore.
Back in the 2006 season, linebacker Richard McLeod missed his entire season year due to a broken leg.
“We took Matt out to lunch and Richard told him about it — he’s the only one who knew what Matt is going through,” Hassett said. “Matt is doing a lot of things like Richard did. Richard worked really hard, eventually got to go the Senior Bowl and won a gold medal in the Canada Cup.”
Kastner is glad to be helping in a coaching capacity.
“I didn’t want to let high school football go — it is such a big part of my life,” Kastner said. “It was really tough to even think about. It really helped to still be with the team and help out when I could.”
Still it’s not like being on the field.
“The first game when everybody was turning up to play, I felt a little left out. I had dreamed about my senior season, so that was tough,” Kastner said. “But every game it has gotten easier to accept the fact I can’t play.”
Can’t play this year, that is.
He is hoping to be ready in March or April with an eye of playing with the University of Alberta Golden Bears sometime during his post-secondary school days.
“I would try as a walk-on and just take it from there,” Kastner said.
He continues to work on his upper body and stamina, but can’t do work on his injured leg as of yet.
One former Golden Bear, coach Hassett, said the tenacious Kastner is the type who can put an injury behind him.
“If there is anyone who can come back from a devastating injury it is Matt,” Hassett said. “I can’t say enough good things about him.”
Meanwhile, Grade 11 Knight Nick Wiebe has been busy soaking in Kastner’s expertise as he makes the switch from defensive back to outside linebacker this year.
“Matt was a valuable asset to us last year — he would drop back and help us in coverage, he really helped me a lot,” Wiebe said. “This year, he will come up to me and tell me what I’ve done right and give me some pointers if I have done something wrong.
“It means a lot to have him out as part of our team — especially as a captain.”
Despite the injury, he has no regrets and encourages players to play Midget football in following their passion.
“It is definitely my favourite sport — the physicality, it’s not like any other sport,” Kastner said.
As it turns out, Kastner did get to suit up again. He was in full uniform for the coin-toss for the Knights’ game against Cardston on Oct. 16.
“It was a good feeling to be thought of in this way for Matt (Hassett) to come and talk to me and ask me to do this,” Kastner said.
Also joining the coin-toss was Cole Bruynzeel, a lineman and Grade 12 player who missed the season due to injury. It was the last game for the seniors at their home Knights Field.
