By Mike London

Salisbury Post

LANDIS — South Rowan junior Sawyer Sifford didn’t let the first ACL injury stop him, nor the second — nor the third.

Three setbacks, all involving his left knee, have detoured him. They’ve slowed the football/track and field athlete’s high school career down quite a bit. But they haven’t stopped him.

“One thing I’ve got is persistence,” Sifford said. “I’ve never given up. All the time and games I’ve lost to injuries just means I’ve got to work that much harder. It’s made me an underdog, but I like being the underdog.”

When he was a freshman at South, Sifford looked like he might be going places athletically in a hurry. Ryan Walden, a leader on South’s offensive line, went down with a knee injury and Sifford was suddenly called upon to start for the varsity. He was undersized, but he survived at guard or tackle while weighing about 170 pounds because he is extremely strong for his size. He held his own in tough games in a tough league.

“He stepped right in there for us as a freshman,” said Ian McLemore, who has been around Sifford as much as anyone as South’s offensive line coach and as the Raiders’ assistant track and field coach in charge of throwers. “He’s a unique kid.”

Sifford experienced quite a bit of success as a track shot putter in the spring of his freshman year and was throwing 43 feet, but he believes the left knee started to wear down during double-duty days with track and football spring workouts.

Before football practice began for his sophomore year — the summer of 2023 — he was diagnosed with a torn left ACL.

“I remember crying when I got the news,” Sifford said. “At that point, I wasn’t sure what an ACL was or what it did. I just knew I was hurt.”

Then he hurt the knee two more times in situations that weren’t expected to be stressful — pickup basketball at the YMCA and doing jumping jacks.

Two football seasons have been lost.

A lot of time has gone by, and all the Siffords have become experts on ACLs. Now Sawyer understands the value of a good knee brace. There’s been a lot of physical therapy, a lot of sweat and blood to get him back on athletic fields, and he’s done what he’s needed to do.

“A lot of mornings you don’t want to get up and do the work that you have to do to rehab a knee, but I always got up,” Sifford said.

He’s made his track and field comeback as a junior this spring and has returned to being McLemore’s No. 1 shot putter. He’s been winning some tri-meets and quad-meets, with throws in the 41 or 42 foot range.

The first time he stepped back on South’s field, he came in first place in the meet and he has qualified for regional competition.

“He’s actually slimmed down now from his freshman year, but he’s still strong as an ox,” McLemore said. “He’ll do well for us in the shot in a lot of meets.”

After this track season, Sifford will set his sights on an even bigger and more challenging comeback for South’s football team. He really wants to play football as a senior and help South build on the gains it made this season. It almost killed him to watch the last two years, although he has continued to study film and tried to learn as much as possible.

“I’m at 175 pounds now, but I want to be up to 195 by the time football starts,” Sifford said. “I’ve got a lot of explosive strength. I know I probably wouldn’t be on the offensive line now, but maybe I can help at defensive end or outside backer.”

Only time will tell. Everyone is hoping the knee holds up. If it does, South football will have another senior.

“Sawyer is a really good kid,” South head coach Chris Walsh said. “We’re all happy he’s on track for a healthy recovery. We hope he can end his athletic career on a high note.”