H.S. Soccer: Playing for the love of soccer

Four years ago, doctors told the eighth-grader he had the spine of a 70-year-old.
A couple of weeks ago, Jeremy Worley returned to the Lewis-Palmer soccer team and scored two goals.

Worley is no Pele; he's not even David Beckham. The senior rides the pine more than he's on the field. But it's enough for him.

"I'm definitely not the best person on our team - not even close," Worley said. "Just getting to wear the jersey has been my goal the past two years."

At 14, Worley was diagnosed with three bulging discs in his lower back. Athletic pursuits were replaced with endless physical therapy.

"I was walking in my room one Sunday and just collapsed," he said. "Nothing was working; I couldn't get up, and I could hardly move. I crawled down to my mom. She took me to the chiropractor, who took an MRI and made the diagnosis.

"I missed a month-and-a-half of school. It was a huge blow, very discouraging. I got healthy enough to function, but I would wake up with crazy, massive pain."

Daniel Henley, a medical doctor with Aspen Creek Medical Associates, said the danger of a bulging disc is that it could burst from the spinal column and press on a nerve root, becoming a herniated disc. It could cause numbness or, in a worst-case scenario, loss of leg function.

"We have some patients who play through physical therapy, especially if there's no pressure on a nerve root," Henley said. "It's possible, with back therapy and by practicing good body mechanics, to play. But soccer involves a lot of twisting and turning. You worry about a permanent injury to a nerve, especially in such a young patient."

So for Worley - who was forced out of not only soccer but also snowboarding, lacrosse and mountain biking - the love of the game is all there is.

"The doctors said to take away all his sports," said Jeremy's father, Mike. "We thought that was it. But the last couple of years, he improved enough to get doctor clearance."

Jeremy Worley channeled his energy into guitar in the absence of sports. He shifted to downhill skiing, which puts less strain on the spine than snowboarding. He tried other pursuits, but none filled the bill like soccer had.

A growth spurt over the past few years helped stretch Worley's spine and relieve the disc pressure in addition to regular physical therapy. Doctors cleared him to play last spring.

Still, the boy's family didn't have high hopes last summer as he ran all over the Palmer Lake area working to get into playing shape. His training was enough to earn a spot on the 17-man roster.

"When a coach looks at a team of boys, he sees all kinds of attributes and strengths," coach Kurt Clark said. "But Jeremy has an inner will and determination not all athletes have. He's never looking to make an excuse. That's especially unique today."

Worley was filling his role as a reserve until the Harrison-Sierra game Sept. 16, when Lewis-Palmer had a sizeable lead - enough so that Clark sent him in.

Shortly after, Worley took a crossing pass from Colton Briscoe and scored.

"It took my breath away," his father said. "I was thrilled."

Worley also scored the final goal of the 8-0 win.

"We were happy for him," team captain Trevor Beatty said. "His first goal kind of came out of nowhere, then he gets another one. We were like, ‘Wow. Pretty cool.'"

Those usually meaningless goals in a lopsided game were anything but for Lewis-Palmer.

"Personally as a coach, I find much greater pleasure in a kid like Jeremy coming in and having a game like that," Clark said. "He sat out three years, then had the gumption to come out and make a difference. And he has."

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Contact the writer: 636-0250 or sports@gazette.com