Junge watches final game from sidelines

If someone plays football for Xavier High School, they most likely have played the game from a very young age. They often begin with flag football during early elementary years and then, during fourth or fifth grade, they move to tackle. They will often go to the games and summer camps run by members of the Xavier coaching staff. All the while, they are looking up to the high school varsity team.

All of this is true for senior running back Jax Junge. Junge has played tackle football for the last eight years, as well as flag football before that. During his time in the feeder teams for Xavier, he dreamed of playing in, and winning, a state championship game, like many of his fellow teammates. So when he was standing on the sidelines during the 2017  3A state championship game, a game his teammates would go on to win, he had mixed emotions.

“It was really hard at first; all I wanted to do was play Xavier football. It was the year I’d been waiting for my whole life, and the last thing I expected was to be hurt for the championship game,” Junge said. “Even though I was not playing, I wanted the team to succeed.”

Junge underwent season-ending back surgery and missed the final five games of the season, including all of the state tournament. Junge played a big part in the dynamic Xavier offense. Before his injury, Junge ran for 453 yards and 4 touchdowns. Without Junge, the bulk of the carries went to junior running back Braden Stovie.

With football being such a physical sport, most players will only play substantial minutes during their senior season. To work so hard, only to get injured during his senior year, was not the way the season was supposed to go. If someone were to ask any player on the team how they felt about Junge, they will tell you how badly they wish he was able to finish the year with them.

“Jax was a vital part of our team, even when he was injured,” senior fullback Collin Yanga said. “We felt for him and wish he could have been playing on the field with us.”

By the time players reach their final year, they have spent so much time together they often become more like a family than a football team. Even though Junge was unable to participate at the end of the season, he shared the spoils of victory nonetheless.

Thomas Bean

Sports Writer