Geoff Mott
Sports Scene
FREELAND – Injuries never slowed Kyle Guster.
Through his time on the football field, the basketball court, and the track, the Freeland senior missed just three days of competition because of the flu.
His health allowed him to improve in each sport over the years, culminating in a 2013 summer that drew attention from both collegiate track and football coaches.
Last summer, he qualified for the 400-meter relay with Swan Valley’s Alex Grace, Nouvel Catholic Central’s Tyler Hendricks, and Arthur Hill’s Anthony DeBardelaben at the USA Junior Nationals. Later in the summer, Guster joined Grace, Heritage’s Brian Cole, and Saginaw’s Keyon Addison in winning the NFL 7-on-7 National Tournament championship in Cleveland.
All signs pointed to a big senior season of football on a talented Freeland team.
Then, on the final scrimmage of the preseason, Guster took a sweep play around end against Bay City Western.
“I beat the guy to the edge and he kind of dove at my backside,” the 5’11”, 170-pound Guster said. “Another guy came, and I put my shoulder into him to fight for yards instead of hopping out of bounds like I could have.
“I planted and my knee was exposed, and the first guy rolled up on me. It popped and cracked. It was the worst pain I’ve felt in my life.”
Guster tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, along with partially tearing both menisci in his left knee.
It was the third straight season that Freeland lost its best running back during preseason play. David Ruhlman separated a shoulder in 2011, while Matt Schauman also tore the ACL in his left knee.
“It’s pretty tough to get over mentally,” said Schauman, a freshman at Delta College. “The hardest part is watching your team play in a close game. You want to be out there and see if you could make the difference.”
Schauman tried to rehabilitate his knee instead of having surgery. He was on the mend for a month and played two and a half games before twisting it again. He then had it scoped at St. Mary’s of Michigan, and an ankle tendon graft from a cadaver was used to repair it.
Schauman was on his way to watch Guster and the Falcons scrimmage when he heard news that his friend had suffered the same injury.
“I was about five minutes away and my mom called me,” Schauman said. “I texted him, and he was busy with the doctors. Once I got a hold of him, I just told him to keep his head high and look to the future. He’s an all-stater in track, and he’s going to have a great season in the spring.
“You have to keep your head in the right place. Freak accidents happen, but he’s a hard worker. He’ll get over this.”
It was devastating for Guster after a summer without a vacation. While he worked out with the USA Junior National relay team and the 7-on-7 football team, he also went to basketball camps and worked for his father, Craig Guster, at All-Terrain Landscaping.
“I lifted weights every day and then went to work,” Guster said. “After work, it was track and basketball, or football and track, or football and basketball. I was getting faster and stronger by doing all the extra stuff. I didn’t get tired easily. I felt really good.”
After the injury, Craig Guster helped his son to his feet and into the car. They went for x-rays, and after five days got the bad news from the MRI.
“My dad was hit pretty hard by the injury,” Kyle said. “He played football and baseball throughout, and he beat himself up that he could have done more. He pushed me. He was my youth football coach and always helped me along.”
The healing process didn’t get off to as fast a start as Guster does on the track, where he holds the school record in the 100-meter dash at 11.0 seconds. He’s close to schools records in the 200- and 400- dashes and helped the 400-meter relay team to an all-state finish.
He was originally scheduled for surgery on Sept. 18, which would have taken away his chance to dress and take the final three snaps in Freeland’s 34-6 win over Shepherd in the school’s annual Clash for a Cure game.
He had the surgery rescheduled for the following week at McLaren Bay Region Medical Center, but the doctor declined to do the surgery, forcing Guster to look elsewhere. He ended up going to Dr. Michael B. Shingles at Michigan State University for surgery in early October.
“They put me in the pre-op room at 9 a.m. and surgery was at 10:30 a.m. It was the longest hour and a half of my life,” said Guster, who passed time watching SportsCenter. “They slowly drugged me down, and I was out while getting carted down the hallway.
“Next thing I know I’m talking to a lady holding a big knee brace with a gauze pad and cooler on my knee.”
Doctors used a graft from Guster’s hamstring and two small pieces of tendons from his ankle. The doctor sutured the tendons together and attached them on both ends of his knee. The doctor also repaired the lateral meniscus, which had a small tear from an earlier injury.
“I missed a week of school and spent two weeks of non-weight bearing on two crutches,” Kyle Guster said. “Then I went to one crutch, and now I have range of motion nearly completely back. It doesn’t hurt anymore, but it’s tight after therapy.”
He now trains at Auburn Physical Therapy. He tosses around a medicine ball, does various flexibility stretches on huge exercise balls, and works on balance three days a week. “I love it over there,” Kyle said. “They make it fun and have me doing a lot of different types of exercises.”
Guster still has interest from track programs at Division III schools, including Hillsdale College, but he is driven to attend Michigan State University and walk on to the football team. He’s been interested since playing 7-on-7 with MSU football camp coordinator Curtis Blackwell.
“He’s a good guy and has done a lot to get my name out there,” Kyle said. “I went down on a couple visits to practices and games, and it’s been nice to stick around football and the games. I have planned to play college football since the beginning of last year, hitting the weight room and gaining more speed.
“I’m hoping to walk on at MSU. If I do or don’t play football, I want to at least try. It’s go big or go home.”
And it’s that spirit that will help carry Guster through six months of rehabilitation before he gets the chance to salvage his senior year of athletics on the track. The senior will support the basketball team, even though he’s not allowed to lace up.
“My goal was always to get back for track season; work hard and get back for track,” Schauman said. “It’s a bummer, but it’s something that happens in life. I told Kyle that your athletic career could end sooner or later, but it’s not going to end now.
“You need something to look forward to, and he has a lot to look forward to.”