Northeast Lauderdale defensive lineman De’Uante Mason (17) gives chase during a game this past season. Mason played wide receiver most of his high school career before a broken right ankle cost him his junior season in 2017. This year, Mason moved to defensive line for the Trojans.

In just one play, De’Uante Mason’s whole junior season was taken away from him.

During Northeast Lauderdale’s first game of the 2017 season, Mason caught a pass and was tackled below the waist by Kemper County — and the then-wide receiver said he immediately realized the pain he was feeling wasn’t from a mere bruise or sprain.

“It was a pain I had never felt before,” Mason recalled. “I didn’t know if I would be able to play again.”

A trip to the doctor confirmed his worst fear: his right ankle was broken. The 2017 season was over for Mason, and rehab awaited.

Despite the frustration, Mason was dedicated to getting back into playing shape. After starting rehab in January, he was finally able to resume workouts in the summer, but Mason had some lingering limping, and wide receiver wasn’t an option. The staff decided to move him to the defensive line, and it paid off, as Mason helped the Trojans to a 7-5 record and a berth in the second round of the MHSAA Class 4A postseason.

“He was one of our standouts on defense all year long,” Trojans head coach John Douglass said. “He had some discipline issues as far as learning the position — knowing not to run upfield and that kind of thing — but he got better each and every week, and by mid-year, he was doing everything we needed him to do.”

At first, Mason was bearish on moving to defense.

“At first I didn’t want to, but I saw I was hurting my team (trying to run routes),” Mason said. “I had already played defense in the ninth grade, so I had a little experience.”

The most important thing, though, was getting back on the field no matter what capacity. Mason attended a few football camps during the summer, which helped prepare him for the position. The one that stood out most was the camp at Mississippi Valley State.

“It was a great experience,” Mason said. “I learned a lot of different things about the position I was playing. I saw that if I worked a little harder, I could be way better.”

Mason split time at defensive tackle and defensive end for the Trojans, and he eventually grew to love playing on that side of the ball.

“I liked being able to stop a team from scoring and keeping their score down,” Mason said. 

In addition to having to learn playing defensive line, Mason said he also had to learn to trust his ankle again, especially when the season began.

“After the first or second game, I felt like it was all right,” Mason said. “I was feeling great. I was working harder and running faster. I felt like Iron Man.”

Having gone through a season-ending injury, Mason said he didn’t take his senior year for granted after working so hard to get back on the field.

“I learned to appreciate the sport a whole lot from my injury,” Mason said. “I developed a love for the game. Having to stand up and watch my team from the sideline (last year) while I was hurt, I felt like there were things going on that I could have prevented.”

Mason also said he enjoyed playing for Douglass his senior year, and he feels like he and the other seniors helped give the program positive momentum going into 2019.

“Coach Douglass, he’s a pretty good coach and a caring person,” Mason said. “We needed someone hard on us like him, and it shows he’s motivated and cares about us. We built a brotherhood — a strong one. Our bond is very tight.”

Douglass said the reward was in seeing players like Mason who worked hard get to reap the benefits of their time and effort.

“We have a great training staff here on campus, and the doctors he saw were great,” Douglass said. “Obviously, we want kids back on the field as soon as possible, but we also want to be sure that they’re ready. When he was ready to get out there and the doctor said there was no more risk of re-injury, from that point it was a matter of getting him to improve. He put in the work and did the time, and it was really satisfying to see that.”