Noah Nix entered his sophomore year at East Central Community College with lofty expectations. After moving to wide receiver and scoring several touchdowns just one season before, larger colleges took notice of the former West Lauderdale High School student’s production in Decatur.

Nix’s sophomore year, however, hit a roadblock after the Warriors’ opening-week contest against Holmes Community College. 

Nix sprained his AC joint in his shoulder during East Central’s last drive of the game, which they would go on to lose.

The injury sidelined him for weeks. 

“After I got hurt, I tried to come back too fast, and I was only hurting my shoulder more, so that’s why I had to wait longer (to come back),” Nix said. “I was getting down on myself and stuff. But I talked with my trainer, and he helped me get through it. I just kept working on my shoulder, and the coaches were giving me time to get healthy. So, when I came back, I was in a good position to come back and help the team.”

While his teammates grappled with opponents on their schedule each passing week, Nix watched from afar. He said his daily routine included healthy doses of rehabilitation exercises such as shoulder presses with 10-pound weights and strengthening reps with exercise bands. 

Shoulder mobility wasn’t the only thing Nix lost as a result of the injury. A number of schools that once showed interest also disengaged, leaving the 20-year-old perplexed.

He sought the counsel of his parents, Robert and Crystal Nix, to help him weather the difficult period. 

“My mom told me that if God has a plan for me, then no matter where you are, in the end, it’s going to work out,” Nix said. “And so, she and my dad told me that whenever I come back, I just have to do what I know how to do, play how I know how to play, and everything else will work itself out.”

Five weeks after the injury, Nix returned to East Central’s lineup at running back for its contest against Hinds Community College. He finished the game with 76 rushing yards and a touchdown. A week later, against Southwest Mississippi Community College, he rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown to help the Warriors claim their first MACJC South Division Championship. East Central’s season ended with a 21-14 loss to Northwest Mississippi Community College in the first round of the playoffs, but Nix said the tumultuous year revealed a lot.

“Seeing how I missed those games, and came back and played well in those last two games, that showed me how effective I could be if I could just stay healthy and keep working,” he said. “It showed me that if I could just get through the season, I could have a big year.”

Nix officially committed to the University of the Cumberlands last week — where he will play wide receiver and running back — and is already on campus in Kentucky preparing for the upcoming season. The school’s loyalty throughout his injury left a lasting impression on the youngster.

“I was talking to a lot of bigger schools, but after I had gotten hurt, they lost a lot of interest — (University of the Cumberlands) was one of the schools that gave me another chance to play,” Nix said. “It just showed me that they had confidence in me, that they believed in me, and that they saw something special in me and that I could come there — even though I was hurt — and help the program.” 

Although the past season didn’t go exactly as Nix would have ultimately scripted, he said he learned a valuable lesson about himself throughout it all.

“It showed me how mentally strong I was to fight through that, and to continue to keep working and come back and have great games after not playing at all and helping my team get to a playoff game and having the chance to go further,” Nix, who will study physical education, said. “It just showed me what I could really do for myself, and how I could fight on and fight through adversity, and stuff like that.”