After quick recovery, Ryder Harrison making impact with Gregory-Portland again

A little more than two months since an awkward hit sent him to a week-long hospital stay, Gregory-Portland sophomore Ryder Harrison will suit up for the biggest game so far of the Wildcats season.

Harrison, who suffered broken ribs and a collapsed lung after absorbing a shot in a game against Calallen in Week 1, miraculously returned in five weeks and has been back on the field since District 15-5A Division I play started.

Now Harrison, a key two-way starter for the Wildcats, and his teammates will finally clash with Flour Bluff, in a game that will decide the district championship for the second straight year at Hornet Stadium on Friday.

Harrison said the season and journey to return to the field this season has been a challenge, one that was aided by his family and fellow Wildcats.

"It has definitely been hard, but it has been much easier with the support of my teammates," Harrison said. "They made the recovery easier for me. It was tough."

Harrison said he knew something was different about the hit immediately.

"I knew something was broken, for sure," Harrison said. "I've had the wind knocked out of me before, but this was different, so I just laid there."

The sophomore was sent to the hospital when he could not catch his breath and ended up staying for a week, going through multiple chest tubes and fighting a fever before he was deemed well enough to be released.

Harrison said his mindset and support system were the biggest reason he was able to get back on the field as rapidly as he did.

The sophomore was G-P's leading receiver before he was knocked from the game against Calallen in Week 1 and having him back as a weapon on offense and defense makes the Wildcats more challenging to face.

"It is great having another player out there that can make big plays like that," Gregory-Portland quarterback Reed Dooms said of Harrison's return. "He took a (short pass) and went 70 yards with it last week.

"I was blown away by the fact that he was back in five weeks. I'm glad to see that he's back and fully healthy."

The touchdown was Harrison's first of the season, a moment and feeling he called "amazing."

Wildcats coach Brent Davis said he wasn't surprised that Harrison could make a quick recovery because of the type of competitor the sophomore is.

"He is such a hard worker, he loves football, wants to be a part of it and he was going to do whatever he could to get back in time to play some games," Davis said. "He came back way faster than I thought. That is a testament to him."

While he adds a weapon for Dooms in the G-P offensive attack, Davis underscored the impact Harrison has made on defense since returning.

"He has a lot of confidence and he is just one of those type of kids you love to coach," Davis said. "He is what high school football is all about."

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Ryder Harrison back, making impact for Gregory-Portland football