As a sports photographer, I’ve spent years documenting athletes in moments of triumph and in moments they never expected to face. But sometimes, the most important stories have little to do with what happens on the field.
Over the years, I’ve come to recognize something different about a Vinemont Eagles sideline. These athletes celebrate one another’s successes, and when one of their own hurts, they rally around them in ways that extend far beyond the game.
This season, one of their own was sidelined in critical way. Yet even without pads on his shoulders, Will Conquest continued to show up. I watched this young man step into a role he’d never chosen for himself, and in doing so, reveal something about leadership that cannot be measured in statistics or captured in a single photograph – but I tried.
I saw the strength he offered others, but in the quieter moments, I caught glimpses of what it cost him when he thought no one was looking. Those moments stayed with me. That’s why I chose to tell his story. Will and his mother, Mindy, were kind enough to share their story with me.
Beyond the jersey
Will described himself as a shy child who loved building elaborate Lego sets. As he grew older, that quiet child developed a competitive streak. In the Conquest home, even an ordinary day can become competition, especially when his dad is involved.
Football was part of his family’s story long before he could run. His father played college football as a long snapper, and both of his parents have helped shape the young man he has become. His faith, church community, coaches and teammates have also influenced him. His mom would say he also inspires her – after all, she refers to him as her heart and he wears it proudly.
As a youth player, Will could be seen following upperclassman Garrett Boland around the sidelines. Boland may not have realized the impression he was making, but Will remembered. Now coaching Will, Boland has become part of the same story of mentorship Will hopes to pass along when he is no longer suited up as No. 1. It is obvious to me, seeing the number of waterboys in youth football jerseys who follow him around on the sidelines, that his influence has taken root already.
Before his senior year, Will hoped to enjoy the experience without losing sight of what mattered most: his faith, friendships and the man he wanted to become. He wanted to help his team advance in the playoffs, but he also hoped to pour into younger players and help them become successful athletes, teammates and young men.
Head Coach Stephen Robinson described Will as a leader who consistently looks for ways to improve those around him whether they are teammates or fellow students.
“He leads by example and loves people!” Robinson said.
That description would become even more meaningful as the season unfolded.
The injury that derailed the plan
During preseason play on July 14, 2026, Will was deflecting a pass in the end zone when a helmet struck his flank and back. Initially he thought he might have bruised or broken a rib. An emergency room evaluation revealed a far more serious situation – a grade-four laceration to his spleen and a grade-two laceration to his kidney. After transfers to Children’s of Alabama and UAB, Will spent 12 days at UAB, 10 of them in the surgical ICU. His family faced difficult decisions in those days. Beyond the initial injuries, a pseudoaneurysm of the spleen was present and the large hematoma was pressing on his kidney, complicating the already serious situation. His family faced difficult decisions from watchful waiting to removal of his spleen, which would alter his immune system in the future. After prayer, they chose close observation. His injuries required multiple procedures to stop bleeding and remove other abnormalities that arose, but he never lost an organ in the process.
There were no guarantees about what would happen next, how quickly he would recover or whether he would return to the multiple sports he loved.
For a young man accustomed to setting goals and crushing them, waiting was difficult. He was not only in a lot of physical pain, but also emotional pain. Unlike most in a similar situation, Will told me hopelessness never crossed his mind. Any limit that they would give him or any chance of hope, he would cling to it and race toward the next step.
Will has carried 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 with him since childhood. During his recovery, its message about love and patience became more than familiar words. Football was taken away, familiar routines disappeared and the future was uncertain, but his faith remained something he could continue to nurture.
Will’s recovery brought unexpected milestones – things he was told he would not do for months he would accomplish the next day. His family also witnessed the disappearance of that worrisome splenic pseudoaneurysm.
Will recalls his surgeon, Dr. Mark Patterson, telling him he was a tool of God in this, and that was the only way to explain how the pseudoaneurysm disappeared or how quickly Will had improved.
The comeback
As the season began, Will still didn’t know when – or whether—he would play again. But he kept showing up. I watched this young man, who had every reason to withdraw from the season and the sideline, continue to find ways to be present.
I watched him stand on the sideline with a football in his hand as the first snap of the season unfolded. There was a heaviness in his eyes, but a smile on his lips. It intrigued me, so I kept paying attention.
I would often see him as he wiped visors, fixed arm bands, helped with pads, encouraged frustrated teammates and offered guidance to younger players. Coaches turned to him for his perspective. Over the following months, I watched the sadness in his eyes turn to a brightness of anticipation.
Principal Robin Netherton said Will’s willingness to step back and let others have the spotlight while stepping back into the shadows made his response to this setback especially remarkable to witness. He said Will is a kid who would never seek recognition for going above and beyond.
“He’s really a selfless person, a great example of being Christ-like and very kind,” Netherton commented.
I saw that same selflessness – the going above and beyond with a great attitude, but in the quiet moments, I saw glimpses of the cost. There is a particular kind of disappointment in watching the game you love unfold in front of you while wondering whether you will ever participate again. Being strong didn’t mean he never felt the weight of what happened.
He also learned to accept the encouragement he had so often given others. His community surrounded him with support. Letters arrived from other schools. A coach from Hatton High School reached out to pray with the family. A middle school player shared a tribute describing how much Will’s time and encouragement had helped him. That imprinted on Will’s heart.
Will had invested in others without asking for anything in return. During his recovery, he began to see just how deeply those relationships mattered.
The victory
Months after the injury, on Sept. 18, 2026, the Eagles traveled to Holly Pond. Will ran out with the team decked out in red and white, but this time, he wore full pads. I couldn’t help but grin a little at what that might mean. Here was a kid who was told he might not ever take another easy step standing tall with his teammates. His father had told me he probably wouldn’t take a snap that night unless the team had a comfortable lead. But those Eagles flew high and built an impressive lead.
I looked over to see Billy, Will’s dad, with an arm around his shoulder. I knew what that meant and got in position to capture the moment.
With teammates behind him, a nervous trainer nearby and a mother understandably anxious about what she was about to witness, Will returned to the field.
He took the snap and a knee in victory formation.
It wasn’t a touchdown or a game-winning play. It was a single snap. But after months of uncertainty, that moment carried a worth that could not be measured in statistics.
As the whistle blew and the clock hit zero, his teammates surrounded him. Hugs lasted longer than most 17-year-olds would comfortably allow in public, but the Eagles didn’t care. Tears ran through eye-black and celebrations erupted as the emotions of the past months finally spilled over.
Coach Rudy Rudulph said that throughout the preceding months, something had been missing.
“The team dealt with the injury, but there was a dark cloud.” Rudulph said. After Will’s return, he said, the team felt immediately whole again.
Will’s story didn’t end with that appearance. Since then, he has taken the field in contact situations, continuing a comeback that has surely given his mother a few gray hairs.
For Will, every opportunity to play has carried meaning beyond a stat sheet. He had never stopped belonging to the team. After being faced with his own mortality and a plan derailed, every opportunity to run a route, throw a ball or hug a teammate carried a significance far beyond the number of snaps he would ever play.
The impact
Will entered his senior season hoping to make an impact, but his injury forced him to discover a new way to lead. He continued to trust God even when his steps were unclear.
As a photographer, I’ve learned that not every meaningful moment comes with a change on the scoreboard. Sometimes, it’s a young man standing on the sideline with a football in his hand, finding a way to serve his teammates when he would give anything to be playing beside them.
I won’t remember that night in Holly Pond for the score. I’ll remember a father with his arm draped over his son’s shoulders, a team anticipating him to take the field and a single snap in victory formation that brought months of uncertainty to a moment of unbridled joy. I’ll remember the hugs, the tears and the feeling that the Eagles finally had their missing piece back where it belonged.
Will, a senior season filling a role that you didn’t choose challenged you in ways beyond fairness, but as you said, God supported you through it. Sitting in that conference room you told me your pre-season goal was to pour into your teammates, but by your submission to your purpose, your reach went beyond those you would have ordinarily impacted. This will outlast your season. The younger players watching you have seen what leadership looks like when the spotlight moves somewhere else. Your teammates have seen what it means to stand beside someone through uncertainty and walk out in victory, arm in arm. And those watching from the stands have been reminded that a setback can change a plan, but it never takes away a person’s purpose.
Will told me once that this year he didn’t want to lose sight of himself. In the end, I believe he gained a new perspective and a stronger Will.
Sometimes the most meaningful victories are not the ones we plan for. Sometimes they’re the ones that remind us of who we are, who stands beside us and what truly matters when everything else changes.
His story was never just about a sport or performance. It’s a story about perseverance, determination and a Christ-like love for others that is already inspiring and shaping the “young Will” watching him.
As Principal Netherton said, “He’s an Eagle.”
After watching this season unfold, I understand why.
