LOOMIS, Calif — Oct. 14, 2022 is a date Aaron Unfried will never forget. The Del Oro High School star receiver was playing in a league showdown between his Golden Eagles and the Folsom Bulldogs. During the game, when Unfried was making a routine tackle, everything changed.
"I ended up tackling him, and his cleat went right through my stomach," said Unfried. "It knocked the wind out of me. I was on the ground for 10-15 seconds."
Unfried initially thought nothing of it and tried to tough it out. But as days went by, he knew something wasn't right.
"It was this crazy sharp pain. The worst I ever felt. I could barely breathe," he said.
Several days after the incident, he received a diagnosis that would shake his world.
"They did a couple scans, and they were like, 'Your pancreas is Grade 5 fully torn in half, and you have a nine-inch cyst which is saving your life,'" said Unfried.
That liquid cyst had been capturing all the toxic drainage from the split pancreas. Unfried had to endure multiple surgeries and spent more than 30 days in the hospital.
"My coaches came in to visit me at the hospital and a lot of tears were shed during that period of time," said Unfried.
Eventually, Unfried received the good news he was looking for. His doctors 100% cleared him to play on the next level, and now his road to recovery is in full effect.
"Since then, I've been going to the gym every day. I'm been training in here (Game Fit Sacramento) for the last month," he said.
Unfried hopes to walk onto the Boise State football team in the fall.
"I've always wanted to play college football. That's the goal. A dream that I've had. So having this major setback kind of puts me in a midest where it's go time. This is a test, a challenge. I want to prove to myself that I can do it," said Unfried.
When Unfried is not training, he dedicates his time to serving at his church, and even leads mission trips to Mexico. He hopes to one day become a firefighter and coach football at Del Oro.
WATCH ALSO:
