The 2016 season was not a pretty one for Oak Grove. Nearly everything that could have gone wrong did for the Warriors, who went 5-7 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
It was a forgettable experience. Even more so for Caedon Malone, the team’s starting center. In what would have been his first action at the varsity level, Malone never saw the field in 2016.
“We had the jamboree against Purvis. I played in that,” Malone said. “Then it was the Wednesday practice before we played our first game. August 12th.”
“We were playing in an end of practice scrimmage. I planted and turned, and a guy pushed against my leg really hard. I just heard a pop.”
Malone had torn his ACL and would be sidelined his entire junior season. His loss would not be taken in stride. In an injury-plagued season for the Warriors, head coach Drew Causey called this one the toughest.
“He knew what everybody on the offensive line was supposed to do and was the leader of our offensive line,” Causey said. “To lose him like we did, it was a huge blow.”
For Malone, rock bottom was just a day or so after the injury, right before the Warriors’ season-opener versus Warren Central. But Malone says it could have been a whole lot worse had it not been for the support of his teammates, who he calls his brothers.
“They made me really still feel involved,” Malone said. “It makes the process a lot easier when you have coaches and players that care.”
Months of support, waiting and grueling physical therapy later, Malone says he’s back to 100% and ready for the 2017 season. That first varsity experience is finally here for the senior and it’s been a long time coming.
“I’m one of those guys that’s been watching Oak Grove football since forever because I’ve gone here since my Kindergarten year,” Malone said with a smile.
As awful as 2016 was for Malone, to this day, he still doesn’t view it as a total failure. It gave him an opportunity to see a different side of the game, almost like a coach. If he’s not meant to play at the next level, coaching will certainly be in his near future. Causey expects nothing less.
“He’s one of those kids that when he graduates and wants to coach, I’d like to hire him,” Causey concluded.
