St. Mary's High School senior Jake Newman had back surgery last summer and was hopeful that he was going to be able to play football in the fall season.
The year before, in 2012, St. Mary's had an 11-3 season, defeating Hillsboro in the state quarterfinals 37-14 before losing to a tough defending champion, Webb City, in the semifinals.
As a junior guard, Newman helped the team pile up yards on the ground all year. He was expected to lead the line in 2013 with four seniors having moved on after graduation.