Madison County soccer player ends career earlier than expected with a record and an injury
Senior forward Emma Chason set the record for most career goals in Madison County soccer history between both the girls and boys programs, breaking the dusty 24-year-old marker set by Manny Trujillo as a senior Red Raider in 2000.
That was on Feb. 9 against Oglethorpe County.
"I'm not going to say that I'm surprised, because I really knew she could do it. She was right there on the cusp," said Claudette Chason, Emma's mother. "When she was in sixth grade, we went to Madison County and we saw a former female varsity player get rewarded for beating her single-season record. I remember watching, thinking, 'Emma's going to do that one day.'
"And I know that sounds really, you know, probably vain, but then she did it. ... I held up a sign (at that game) and she tried not to look at me because she was embarrassed, but I was just so very proud of her."
"I didn't realize it at first," Chason said herself. "I guess it was because I was more focused on the game. But when I scored, my friend Olivia (McClure) looked at me and was like, 'Oh my god, you broke the record.' We hugged each other tightly, both super excited, as they announced it on the intercom. It was so great to feel that accomplishment."
She was aiming to hit 150. But she only made it as far as 137.
Because 11 days and 12 goals later, her high school career ended.
Chason had been slide-tackled in a Feb. 20 game against Johnson. She thought nothing of it at first, being so locked into the game that she couldn't bring herself to acknowledge anything else. She was choking down the excited and nervous butterflies flitting around in her stomach, knowing that Trujillo was in the stands watching. He'd been unable to watch her break the actual record, due to work, but Chason was grateful he'd made the trip at all.
"I was really excited to have the opportunity to meet him," she explained. "I think it's super cool to be able to have someone so supportive of me breaking their own record. I thought it was really great that he was so cool and excited about it with me."
It's no coincidence too that the pair both played the same position: forward. Trujillo said he offered to help Chason make the transition to the next level. She'll be playing college soccer at Dalton State in the fall.
It was halftime by the time Chason actually took a mental breath, and she knew something was wrong instantly. She couldn't walk, couldn't function correctly. Usually when she gets hurt, she pushes through it. She's a brick wall, focused solely on the end goal, the light on the other side of the tunnel, and unperturbed by the obstacles or speed bumps in her path.
But this one she couldn't get past.
"I was freaking out a bunch," Chason said. "I'll play through anything, like even when I broke my nose my sophomore year I just wanted to get back out there, but I obviously couldn't because trainer (decides). When I was feeling it, I tried doing a squat to see if I could at least move it, and once I felt that I couldn't, it really scared me and disappointed me. I knew I wouldn't be able to do anything more on it and that really sucked. ... I've never injured myself that severely before."
Chason went to get an MRI immediately and found out it was a large tear in her meniscus. She would be out for six months after surgery, meaning she would lose her high school senior season and her club season.
However, with the way her injury presented itself, the surgeon was able to trim her meniscus, rather than repair it, Claudette said. They didn't know this until the surgery was over and the doctor came out earlier than expected to explain to the anxious parents in the waiting room.
Six months quickly became six weeks, and Chason was washed in relief. She'd be recovered and rejuvenated in time to play for Oconee Football Club. But the hole that would be left behind as she turned in her Lady Red Raider jersey was unquestionable. She'll forever be cemented in her small town's history, but not the exact way she'd hoped.
"This is her passion, this is what she loves," Claudette said of her daughter. "The field is where she shines and she flourishes, and she's handled all this really well, to be honest with you. There's been moments of disappointment, of course, but she's been very able to accept this difficult situation, being able to say it is what it is. Her team has been very supportive, her coaches have been very supportive and of course, her father and I are like, 'It's not over yet. You still have college. It's a whole new − no pun intended − ballgame this fall.'
"She made everything, her career, happen for herself."
Sara Tidwell covers Athens-area high school sports and University of Georgia athletics for The Athens Banner-Herald. Contact her at stidwell@gannett.com and follow her @saramtidwell on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Emma Chason on breaking an old record and the heartbreak that ensued
